


Initium novum

by sea_of_words17



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Teen Wolf (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers and teen wolf crossover, Awesome May Parker (Spider-Man), Awesome Michelle Jones, BAMF Avengers, BAMF Michelle Jones, BAMF Peter Parker, BAMF Sheriff Stilinski, BAMF Stiles, Bad Friend Lydia Martin, Bad Friend Scott McCall (Teen Wolf), Bisexual Stiles Stilinski, Canon Divergence - Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Domestic Avengers, F/M, Flash Thompson Being A Jerk, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Good Parent Sheriff Stilinski, I love Peter Parker and Tom Holland a lot okay?, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Mage Stiles Stilinski, Magical Stiles Stilinski, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Tony Stark Coparenting Peter Parker, Michelle Jones Is a Good Bro, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, Peter Parker Acts Like a Spider, Peter Parker Has Nightmares, Peter Parker Has Panic Attacks, Peter Parker is Trying His Best, Peter and Stiles are pining, Post-Spider-Man: Homecoming, Precious Ned Leeds, Protective May Parker (Spider-Man), Protective Michelle Jones, Scott McCall (Teen Wolf) is a Failwolf, She's all knowing, Spark Stiles Stilinski, Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoilers, Stiles Stilinski Has Panic Attacks, Stiles Stilinski Leaves Beacon Hills, Stiles Stilinski and Avengers Team, Stiles Stilinski is Pushed Out of the Pack, Stiles Stilinski is adopted by the Avengers, Stiles is a Badass, Strong Stiles Stilinski, The pack is the worst, They are oblivious, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Worried May Parker (Spider-Man), but they love each other - Freeform, i don't know what to tag, they make up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2020-11-08 13:14:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 33,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20836052
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sea_of_words17/pseuds/sea_of_words17
Summary: Stiles decides to take one of the best decision he has in a while, after the pack kicks him out. He moves to New York for a new start. But with his luck, trouble (or maybe excitement and adventure depending on how you see it) follows him. After all, New York is home to some pretty super people.





	1. Chapter 1

Stiles had expected it really. After the Nogitsune and later Donovan, his pack hadn’t really been his pack. He had expected it but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with the hurt and grief. The pain of his pack bonds breaking had been excruciating and he’s sure that without his spark, he wouldn’t have stayed as sane as he was. Why couldn’t Scott understand that it was his dad’s life at stake? Nobody believed him when he said that it was self defence. And none of “the pack” listened to him when he begged them to see his side of the story, ruining years of friendship for someone who had just come back, someone like Theo.

  
The week after he was kicked out of the pack by the righteous “True Alpha” had been hard on him with nobody even attempting to contact him. None of the people that he had been ready to give his life for had stuck with him. His 'best friend and brother' had been the one to betray his trust the most. But in that week he decided that he wouldn’t back down, he would stay strong and he would train himself to be better. His dad had been supportive, believing him and believing in him. It made his heart ache with joy and elation that his dad would never leave his side but it also saddened him that the decision he was going to make would take him away from his dad. But the god damned town was leeching the life out of him, his magic was suffering in that town and he couldn’t afford to lose a part of himself.

  
He sat down with his dad and explained to him that he just couldn’t cope with all the grief and the hurt when he stayed on in the town. He told his dad everything for the first time after the supernatural shit entered his life. He broke down when he relived how many times he had put his life on the line, thrown himself into battle, knowing that the bruises, broken bones and everything wouldn’t heal on his human body. He told his dad about the amount of times that he had saved or at least tried his best to save every member of the pack. And even after all that he had done for them, they chose to believe in someone else’s story. He let it all out and his dad held him through it all, the warmth and homely feeling of hugging his dad and breathing in his scent bringing some semblance of calm.

  
Noah wondered how anybody could ever not see how loyal and brave and good his son was. He was angry, seething at how the people that his son had called his family could turn his back on him when he needed it the most. Ever since the Nogitsune, Noah had seen his son spiral down into loneliness. He had watched as none of the members of his so called pack ever came to meet him. He did his best to be with his son and comfort him. And then, after Donovan had been killed (and he believed his boy that it had been self defence, because Stiles would never do anything without reason) his friends had abandoned him as if he had meant nothing to them. And at that time he vowed to be there for his only son every step of the way in any and all forms that he could.

  
When Stiles had told his father about his spark, his magic, the wonder and pride that had been reflected in his dad’s eyes had been one of the most welcoming feelings he had felt after the possession. He sometimes wondered whether it was his spark that had attracted the dark Kitsune, but there was nothing he could do now to right all the wrongs that his body had committed. The guilt destroyed him from the inside every time he closed his eyes and there was nothing that he could do to alleviate it. And the pack’s less than friendly attitude was just cementing the feeling. If it hadn’t been for his dad’s constant presence and comfort, he wouldn’t have been standing here. When the pack had learned about his spark, the disgust he had seen shocked him to say the least. He watched as they openly discussed the fact that his magic was surely dark and a result of the possession. His magic, that had comforted him when he concentrated on the warmth and buzzed with energy much like his own couldn’t be anything but light and true. He watched as the redhead he had at some time worshipped and recently had forged a deep friendship with, suggested taking him to Deaton so that they could research ways to remove his Spark so that he wouldn’t hurt anybody. But it hurt him to see his ex-friends not caring about the fact that he could lose his life if his magic was taken out. Anger had bubbled up inside him and he had stormed out after every window and glass in the room had exploded in the face of his anger.

  
And all that lead him to his current decision. He was moving out of Beacon Hills. He would continue his high school in New York, although he could graduate a lot earlier if he put his mind to it and that was exactly what he planned to do. Noah wasn’t sure about the move, but if that was what it took for Stiles to heal from all the trauma he carried around, then he would support his son, because in the end it was Stiles' happiness that mattered.

  
Soon, enough the transfer papers were organized, decisions made, tickets booked and bags packed. Three weeks after the father son duo had made the decision, Stiles was ready to move out. And in those three weeks, none of his old friends had bothered to even look in his direction, though he hadn’t really expected them to either. He found that he was actually glad to leave the town, his only regret that his dad wasn’t coming too, but he had promised that he would move to New York with Stiles soon enough and that brought him hope. Leaving his childhood home and the memories of his mom was hard but he ploughed through. He hugged his dad fiercely and he wasn't ashamed to admit that there had been a lot of tears. Leaving his dad was hard but he promised to call and Skype as frequently as he could (at least every other day). As he boarded the plane and settled into his seat, he found himself to be excited for a new start and a small smile found it’s way onto his lips.

\--------------------------------------------

  
New York was huge and bustling and Stiles loved it. The crowd with its constant energy that matched his ADHD made him feel safe. He had caught a cab to his new apartment from the airport and was settling in. The apartment was nice with one bedroom, kitchen and hall. There was a balcony that looked out onto the street and the sounds of the city were calming. He relaxed after unpacking most of his essentials, the exhaustion catching up to him. He mentally made a note to himself to go and check out the supernatural state of the city and find someone who would be willing to take him on as a student. He would have to visit the school to finalize his admission and unpack the rest of his luggage the next day. He called his dad and talked a bit before he changed into his night clothes and face planted on his bed, sleep sinking it’s claws into him soon enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles meets the Alpha of the New York pack and learns some interesting things about himself. Also, he meets someone new on his first day of school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter. This is chapter 2.  
Stiles is 18 in this fic and the new friend that he makes is 17 years old.  
Thank you for reading! Enjoy! And please leave kudos and subscribe if you liked it!

Turns out, the supernatural community in New York is a lot more welcoming to all kinds of supernatural species and a lot easier to find too if you knew where to look (his research skills were unbeatable). With the city being so huge, all the supernaturals had integrated into the society and though there were still some that attacked and tried to wreck havoc, most of them were dealt with deftly. Stiles met with the Alpha of the pack of New York, which according to his research was one of the largest and most successful of packs. He had set up the meeting through the second in command and was now nervously wringing his hands as he waited for the Alpha in the pack’s office. There were already three wolves present in the room, one being the second in command named Mark who he had talked to already. Mark sent a small smile his way, probably smelling the anxiety rolling off of him, which Stiles returned.

  
Soon enough, the Alpha walked in and Stiles could feel the power that the man held. He stood up and turned around, bowing slightly before straightening. The Alpha raised his eyebrows, impressed with the human knowing their customs though he didn’t hold the smell of being in a pack.

  
Stiles tentatively shook the hand that was extended towards him. The warm smile on the Alpha's face lessened his anxiety and Stiles rolled his shoulder to get rid of the stiffness.

  
“Alpha Grey, my name is Stiles Stilinski and I would formally like to request permission to stay in your territory.”

  
“Stiles? Is that your real name?”

  
“No Alpha. My first name is really a random string of letters. Mieczyslaw Stilinski.”

  
The Alpha laughed slightly. “You may call me Michael. Though, may I ask how you know about the supernatural world, seeing as you are human and are not part of any pack?”

  
There was no condescension in the Alpha’s voice as he referred to Stiles being human, there was only genuine curiosity in his voice. 

It made Stiles respect the Alpha all that much more. “I was part of the pack in Beacon Hills”, all the eyebrows in the room shot up slightly at that and Stiles wondered if all the werewolves had the strong eyebrow game mastered much like some of the wolves back home, “before due to some situations and false accusations, I was kicked out by the Alpha.”

  
“Doesn’t Beacon Hills have a True Alpha?”

  
“Yes. But the power is slowly getting to his head and the fact that True Alphas are rare makes it all the more better for him.”

  
There was slight cough from Mark at that and Michael responded, “True Alphas are not very common yes, but they aren’t really rare either. I was made a True Alpha and that is how I became the Alpha of this pack. And there are other True Alphas that I know personally.”

  
Stiles was confused, “But the old emissary of the Hale pack at Alpha Talia’s time, Alan Deaton, was the one who informed us of that. And he also said that I had a Spark but that it wasn’t really strong enough to do much. Though I had manipulated mountain ash to cover a larger area than it could, to trap a Kanima. I didn’t always believe Deaton with how cryptic and secretive he was most of the time. I think that my spark needs training because at times I feel a warmth and I would like to learn more about it and control it. That was another reason that I came here for. May I ask if you have any connection with somebody who might be willing to take a student?”

  
Their eyes widened comically at that. And this time it was Mark who replied. “A Spark!?”

  
Stiles hadn’t really had time to research about what it meant to be a Spark, what with there always being a new monster of the week that he needed to research about for the ungrateful pack. He nodded and rambled on, “Yeah, is that a problem? Because I swear that I won’t do anything that might affect the pack in any way –“

  
“Hey, hey. It’s not a problem. Sparks are really rare and if learned and controlled properly, you could turn out to be one of the most powerful Mages. I don’t remember when was the last time that there was a Spark. But if you wouldn’t mind, may I call my emissary to check whether what your Deaton said was true?”

  
Stiles nodded to Michael’s question, wondering why Deaton would have missed to provide that vital information, but seeing as the whole pack had wanted to remove his spark, he was sure that Deaton had some kind of role to play in that too.

  
They only had to wait a couple of minutes before a short woman with waist length blonde hair entered the office. She walked as if she was floating on air, with nimble and soft strides. The way she carried herself was indication enough that she held a lot of power, though she looked to be only a couple years older than Stiles. She looked around and when her eyes fell on him, they widened, much like her pack mates. “A Spark? It is true Michael, he is a Spark. You have a lot of magic stored inside you. You aren’t trained are you? That would explain the uncontrolled energy inside you, though there seems to be something dampening it. Are you taking any drugs? That might be a reason too. Oh! Would you-“

  
She was cut off by her Alpha, though there was fondness in his voice. “Samantha. Meet Stiles Stilinski. Stiles meet Samantha Dray.” Samantha blushed slightly at her rambling, but Stiles was rather surprised because none of the people in the room seemed to mind the excessive talking. He couldn’t help but remember the amount of times he had been made to shut up when he went off on a tangent.

  
“Hi Stiles! So, as I was saying before I was interrupted” she glanced at Michael “do you take any drugs? And would you like to consider having me as a mentor? I could teach you everything that I know. I mean, I haven’t seen a Spark before but I have my research and I’m pretty sure that I’ll be able to help you out.”

  
“Really!? You would do that? I mean, if you are sure then I would be really glad to accept the offer. But you should know that I might not be very good at everything. And I can be really annoying when I ramble, which I just realised I’m doing now and I’ll stop. And also, yes. I take Adderall for my ADHD.”

  
“I think it might be the excess of magical energy that you contain and do not use which might manifest in the form of your hyperactivity. So, first step, you need to stop your medication. We’ll see how that affects everything.”

  
Stiles was about to reply when Michael said while huffing out a laugh, “I’m glad that both of you settled on the offer, but slow down. There’s no need to rush everything. You have plenty of time to learn.”

  
Samantha and Stiles smiled sheepishly at each other, before Stiles took his leave, thanking the Alpha and Samantha for their help. He traded numbers with Samantha, “Call me Sam!”, before he left, feeling a lot lighter and happier than he had in a long while. He was excited to call his dad and relay all of today’s information. He was pretty sure that his dad would be proud that he could be really strong if he practiced his magic.

  
He decided to roam around and explore the city before he went back to the apartment. Stiles really did love this city and it’s energy and liveliness. The huge crowds made him feel a lot safer than he would expect it to. He realised how easy it was for him adjust to the city. As the sun started to set, bathing the city in a beautiful hue of orange and light pink, he came upon the Avengers Tower in all its glory. The gigantic building towered over the surrounding ones. Nobody could blame Stiles for having a fanboy moment on being so close. Everybody who knew him, knew how crazy he was about the superheroes and there was nothing more rewarding in his eyes than maybe meeting them (though he thinks his magic might be almost as important if not more for him). He wished he could meet his idols in passing, just a glimpse. He waited there for some time, watching the tower, before sighing and making his way back to his apartment. He would be starting school in two days and there were a lot of things that he needed to catch up on before that. The thought of joining a new school was exciting but he was also anxious. With his clumsiness and rambling, he couldn’t help but feel that he wouldn’t be accepted by the student body just like his last school. He shook his head to rid himself of the unwanted thoughts before he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

\--------------------------------------

  
Two days later, Stiles was dressed in his nicer clothes for the first day of school. He was standing in front of the door, anxiously wringing his hands. He took some deep breaths before he opened the door. As soon as he did, a body crashed into him, making him almost topple before he caught himself and the person who had barrelled into him. It was a boy, most probably a year or two younger than him. He was shorter than Stiles, with a mop of brown hair and big, brown doe eyes.

  
“Sorry, sorry, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention. I’m really sorry. Are you alright?”

  
He looked up then, and his eyes widened slightly. “Are you new here? I haven’t seen you before. Would you like me to show you around? I mean, you don’t have to accept but I could help you out.”

  
Stiles laughed slightly, realising that the guy was almost like himself with the rambling and flailing.

  
“I would be really grateful if you showed me around. My name is Stiles.”

  
“Oh! Okay, yeah. My name is Peter. Can I see your schedule?”

  
They shared three classes and Stiles was glad that he already had a friend. He loved Peter already and was pretty sure that they could turn out to be best friends. They were equally sarcastic and the resulting laughs were one of the most genuine that had escaped Stiles in a while. The new school was nice, a lot bigger than the one in Beacon Hills, with a lot more people. He loved the teachers (thank God there was nobody like Harris here) and it turned out he was a bit ahead of the rest of them.

  
All in all, Stiles was glad to say that the first day of his new school was really great and he had made a new friend. He put his number into Peter’s phone before they parted ways, promising to text each other that night. That night he called his dad and talked to him for a long time. His dad listened to all of Stiles’ ramblings and interjected whenever needed. He talked about how excited and nervous he was for the start of his magical studies the next day. Noah assured his son that he was pretty sure that Stiles would be exceptional just like he was in everything that he put his mind to. Stiles was glad that his father never brought up the pack or anything related to Beacon Hills except his job and the fact that the deputies missed him. That night he fell asleep with a smile on his face that refused to be wiped out.


	3. Chapter 3

  
Stiles woke up with a scream the next day, his body drenched in sweat, making his hair stick to his forehead. The lingering snippets of a dream where his dad, his only family being caught in the supernatural fire, leaving him as an orphan played in a loop on his mind. He sat on his bed, taking deep breaths to calm himself and his erratic heart. His ribs (which were still healing) hurt slightly from all the exertion. After getting his breathing under control, he went and called his dad, just to see his face and hear his voice. He realised that it was way too early when his dad looked panicked to be called at such a time, looking groggy.

  
“Stiles?”

  
“Hey Daddio. I didn’t realise it was so early. I’m sorry. I’ll call later okay?”

  
“No no. It’s okay. I can talk. What is it? Another nightmare? You know that I’m alright right? See, I’m at the house, which you have surrounded with mountain ash and I have the wolfsbane bullets with me too. You don’t have to worry okay?”

  
“Yeah dad. It’s just-. Do you think I should have stayed there? I mean, you might be in danger and I wouldn’t even know. What am I supposed to do?”

  
“Stiles, listen to me. You did the right thing okay? You aren’t running away. You went there to become stronger, because your magic was suffering here. _You_ were suffering here. So, get your ass out of that chair and go conquer the world. I’ll always be here with you. You won’t get rid of me so easily okay?”

  
“Yeah. Thanks dad. I’ll call you after I get back from meeting Sam.” He ended the call with a much lighter heart. Sometimes he wondered if he would survive without his father’s support.

  
He was not new to nightmares. He has had them for a long time, ever since his mother died really. He would wake up screaming his lungs out after reliving the memories of his mother screeching about how he was killing her and how he would kill his father. He remembered vividly how she had called him a monster. Even at that age, he had known that it wasn’t his mom speaking, but it didn’t make it easier to deal with it. He would curl up in his bed and cry himself to sleep. But they had decreased dramatically with time, only reappearing on particularly bad nights, thus gifting him more than just two or three hours of sleep.

  
Now, the nightmares had returned with a vengeance ever since he had got involved with the supernatural. After the Nogitsune had invaded his body and his mind, digging up years worth of trauma and awful memories, he could barely sleep at night. And the fact that he now had blood on his hands, self defence or not, had only strengthened the base of his nightmares, making them more vivid and terrifying. The bags under his eyes were testament to his sleepless nights. He hoped that being in a new place would change some things up.  
He went into the kitchen and made himself a string cup of black coffee to kick start his brain. This was his morning ritual, repeated every day without fail. No one would ever want to meet Stiles before he had had his morning cup of coffee. It wasn’t healthy, but the numerous cups of coffee got him through the day. He went through some of the breathing and meditative exercises that Sam had recommended, so that they could jump right into his lessons when he got there. Stiles was excited, his head buzzing with all the things that he might be able to do. 

He got ready and picked up his school bag before locking the apartment and making his way towards school. He was taking out books from his locker, when he heard somebody calling him.

  
“Stiles!”

  
“Hey Peter! Not rushing and slamming into people today huh?”

  
Peter blushed slightly at that, looking sheepish, but still replied. “Well, if you would have looked where you were walking, then you could have been saved from the collision. But, you would never have met your amazing friend. Me!”

  
Stiles laughed at that, loving the easy banter that they could slip into, though they had only just become friends. He had always found it hard to let people enter his heart. He couldn’t afford to bear the pain of being left behind again. It had taken him time to let Scott in and once again it was him who had been hurt. So much for being brothers. Stiles realised that he had let Peter and Sam in very quickly, faster than he would have expected. It felt nice to have that friendship and support after being ignored by his former friends for months. He hoped that his new bonds won’t be broken as easily.

  
He made his way to his first class with Peter, the two of them never ceasing their conversation, even during class. Stiles was delighted to know that there was somebody else who was as needy as him. Turns out they were both planning to finish school as early as possible. Peter was smart, like really smart. He would sometimes spout off random information that he finds fascinating and Stiles loved him for all his quirks.

  
Time flew by after that and soon enough school ended. He was walking through the hall with Peter to exit the school and he couldn’t seem to contain his excitement. He parted ways with Peter and walked towards the destination that Sam had texted him.

  
It was pretty close to his school and in a busy centre of the city. The place looked like a fusion between a bookstore and an antique shop. As he entered the shop, a bell jingled above him, bit Stiles was awed. It was paradise. There was no other way to describe the shop. It was filled to the brim with books and a variety of small trinkets and collectibles. He could see a door leading towards the back of the shop. When he looked close enough he could see something kind of shimmering in front of it. The place was designed in dark brown wood that gave it a comfortable, lively and homey feel, with huge bookshelves lining the walls. There were different stands at intervals that housed all the other things that were sold in the shop. He could see chairs scattered around the shop and he saw Sam getting up from one of them and putting down the books she had been reading. His face must have expressed how awed he was because the she greeted him with laugh “It’s pretty great isn’t it?”

  
“Great!? This is awesome! Do you run the place? What all do you sell? Will I learn my magic here? If so I’m superbly fantabulously happy. Also, am I allowed to touch the books? Are there books on magic? Maybe I could take some for extra learning? And why is that door shimmering or whatever?”

  
Sam was laughing loudly at his word vomit and it was then that Stiles noticed another figure standing towards the back of the shop. He blushed slightly when he saw Michael laughing too.

  
“I guess Sam found somebody who could give her some competition in the talking department.” Sam sent a glare in her Alpha's direction before she turned towards Stiles again. To answer your questions, yes, I run this place. You can read the books if you want but be careful and I do have books on magic of course. And, you said that you can see the door shimmering?”

  
When Stiles nodded, she raised her eyebrows and looked towards Michael. “What? What is it?”

  
“That’s surprising. It’s a glamour, a strong one, to divert people from noticing the door. They would only see a blank wall. But a magic user, if they know where to look, may unravel the glamour but even with years of practice, they don’t see it on the first try because of how strong it is.”

  
“So you’re the one that put up the glamour? How strong is it? Will I be able to do that too?”

  
It was Michael who replied this time, “Sam is the strongest magic user in the state. And being the part of a strong and stable pack gives her magic a lot more stability.”

  
Stiles' eyes widened at that and he looked towards Sam. “So, yes it is surprising Stiles that you could see the glamour so easily. And we’ll see how strong you might get with knowledge and practice.”

  
They proceeded towards the back of the shop and entered through the door, that Stiles had taken to calling 'Magic door'. It was filled with a lot of jars containing different items and various other things that Stiles guesses were used to make potions and such. They sat down on chairs surrounding a small round table.

  
Sam jumped right into the lesson "Magic is said to have originated from the Goddess of moon and witchcraft, Hecate. As millions of years passed, different types of magic users came into existence. There are Warlocks, Witches or Wizards, Druids, Elementals and Sparks or Mages. Witches or Wizards are the magic users who need a physical object to focus and direct their magic. Warlocks, like me, use potions and can use some of the energy present around them to perform spells. Druids are usually the magic users connected to a land, specialising in healing and such use of magic. Elementals are the people who have the power of manipulating elements. Each elemental has the power to yield one of the elements at maximum strength but can also manipulate other elements to a certain extent with practice. The different elements are Air, Fire, Earth, Water and Death. Every elemental has descended from the respective God or Goddess of that particular element. For example the Earth elementals worship Gaia, one of the primordial deities or Goddess of Earth. The people with Death as their magic base are called Necromancers.

  
The last is a Mage. A Mage, is said to be a magic user who uses his or her spark, that is, the energy provided by their body itself which is based on their belief. It is also said that they can use the energies that are primarily used by the other magic users. Which means a Mage can use the energy in their surroundings, they could manipulate all the elements with a lot of practice. Their magic would be the strongest when they use their Spark, but it also weakens the body if used excessively because the body needs time to replenish the level of magic. But, it is not drained with the use of easier forms of magic, only when you use complex spells and do larger tasks, your energy levels will be drained. A Spark can be identified by the golden aura that surrounds them. All magic users have a certain aura that surrounds them, indicating the type of magic user. All the information that I have about sparks are from books that I have read because there have been very few sparks throughout history. I’ll give you those books so that you can go through them.”

  
Stiles was amazed and flabbergasted to say the least. I mean, him being one of the strongest magic users!? That was just- he had never expected something so great. He could feel the warmth inside his body, under his skin. His Spark was bubbling and waiting to burst forth.

  
Sam continued the magic history lesson “There are some common things that all magic users share such as creating wards, glamours and some other spells that you’ll learn soon enough. Okay. Now, that’s enough theory for today. We’ll start with calling your inner energy. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Now, focus on the warmth that you had mentioned the first time we met. Focus on it and try to direct it towards your fingers. Now try to push it out of the tip of your fingers. Focus on the sensation of it leaving through your fingertips. Okay, wow! That is very good Stiles. Open your eyes but don’t lose your concentration okay?”

  
Stiles opened his eyes slowly and saw golden sparks, looking like miniature lightning bolts, running around his fingers excitedly. It seemed that his magic shared his excessive energy. Stiles was awed. That was _his magic_. He twirled it around his hand and watched it zoom around. He looked up at Sam and Michael and saw the two of them watching his hands with matching smiles on their faces. They looked somewhat proud of him and he felt ecstatic. And just at that moment the sparks vanished with the golden hue as he lost his focus. But he could still feel the warmth, his magic, waiting to be guided.

  
The rest of his time in the shop was spent learning new things and practicing with his magic, pushing it out and then again calling it back inside. He learned to see auras. The one that surrounded Sam was purple in colour and very bright. Michael’s was red, which Stiles thought could signify his status as Alpha. They tried to use the energy of his surroundings, which turned out to be a bit harder to do. He could see or rather feel the energy that surrounded him in every object that was around , but manipulating it was a lot harder.

  
At the end of the day, Sam gave him some of the books that she wanted him to read. He thanked her and Michael profusely for everything, not believing that he had been lucky enough to find them. He felt a lot happier than he could ever remember feeling and Sam laughed as she said that his bright gold aura was blinding now. As he made his way towards the door, Sam called him back.  
“Stiles! I have an offer for you. Would you like to work here? Part time, after school? Of course I’ll pay you too. It’s because I’m the only one here and most people in the pack already have jobs. And I mean, I would like having you around too. What do you think?”  
Stiles felt like he could cry at that moment. He went forward and hugged her as tightly as he could. “I would be honoured to work her if you really are serious. I love you, like a lot right now.”

  
“That’s super nice, but I need to breathe now Stiles.” He loosened his hold on her and let her go after a minute. She looked happy and there was a fondness in her deep brown eyes. He thought back to the time when he had befriended Lydia. He had accepted her as his sister for the last two years or so and even then she had turned her back on him. He shook his head. He couldn’t afford to think of them now. This was a new start, a new chance and he would be damned if he let it go to waste. And with that thought in his mind, he once again bid goodbye to Michael and am before he made his way back to his apartment, dreaming of his cozy bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooo. Chapter 3!!!  
Thoughts?? If there's anything that is confusing about the magical aspect of things, you can comment about it and I'll try clarifying them.  
Also, do you guys think that Stiles and Peter should date or should they remain best friends? (I'm a bit confused about what to do with the two of them).  
Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Stiles' days were now based on a routine of getting up and going to school, where he would spend most of his day with Peter (they were fun times with lingering glances sometimes), leaving school and going directly to Sam’s shop where he spent time honing his magical skills, improving in leaps and bounds. Time after that was spent managing and helping around in the shop. At the end of the day he would return back to his apartment, complete his assignments for school and pass out on his bed.

  
The constant workload and his busy schedule, were tiring enough that he would slip into a dreamless sleep. He would be asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow, keeping the nightmares at bay on most days. He thought of Beacon Hills often enough in the starting, wondering how long it took for the pack to notice that he was gone or if they did notice at all. The thoughts of how easily they kicked him aside made his mood plummet, making him doubt if he ever was considered a part of the pack or was only tolerated there because of his research and relation with Scott. A relation that had suffered almost as soon as Scott was bit, the popularity making the “True Alpha” leave behind his only friend who stood with him through everything. He would often think of Lydia, the redhead he had worshipped for a long time before they became involved with the supernatural. He had thought that the friendship that they had forged subsequently, him almost adopting Lydia as his sister, was strong enough to withstand any kind of strains. But every time he thought of her, the only thing he could see was the sneer deforming her face as she stared down at him.

  
Stiles was glad to be away from the hell hole called Beacon Hills (his only regret being that his dad still wasn’t here) and the toxic friendships that he had surrounded himself with. And he was happy here, with friends that supported and uplifted him. Peter was already an important part of his life, his best friend. Sam, Michael and Mark were the best guides and friends he could ask for, always training him and making him strive to be better. Michael had started training him in self defence and fighting tactics, to protect him when his magic couldn’t, sometimes Mark joining them in their training. His magic was growing exponentially in potential and power. It was now a constant thrum under his skin, ready and waiting to be guided. Sam would always test his limits, seeing how far he could go, before his magic was exhausted. They worked relentlessly on increasing his capacity, trying to bring his spark to its maximum capability (which was a lot if you asked him). He had taken to reading each and every book that he could get his hands on in the shop. There were Bestiaries with terrifying creatures and much more information than he could ever imagine finding in Beacon Hills. At least once in a week, Sam would make him sit down and they would go through the Bestiaries together, her adding little snippets of information that Stiles would store into his brain. He could ask any kind of question and she would answer with all honesty (he had learnt how to see if the other person was lying by looking at their auras. There would be a slight tick, a telltale sign of deception. Take that werewolves!).

  
School was another story altogether. Stiles had already decided that he would be graduating a semester earlier and so did Peter. He only needed a few more credits and he would be free from the drama that was called high school. A month or two at the most and he could go to college! Peter (or Pete now) and him were thick as thieves. You wouldn’t find one without the other at school, always bickering , laughing or looking conspiratorial.

  
He talked to his dad almost daily, the two sharing their day's stories with the other and they would video call at least twice in a week. He missed his dad and the comfort that only he could provide. He missed the bear hugs and the forehead kisses. Video calls were not enough to alleviate the pain of distance. But his dad promised him that he would move to New York soon enough. His dad just couldn’t leave the town he had vowed to protect before he made sure that it would be left in capable hands, the supernatural making it that much harder.

  
Being the son of a Sheriff, Stiles was good at seeing the things that wouldn’t catch your eye easily. He did notice that Peter would sometimes disappear for a day or two and then return as if nothing had happened. He noticed all the bruises that Peter tried to hide very diligently (he had experience doing the same things) and the fact that Stiles did not know where Peter lived. Of course they had hung out at Stiles’ apartment a lot of times, only after he would glamour all the evidences of his supernatural inclination of course, but never at Peter’s house. It made him worried of what his friend had gotten himself into and sometimes a little wary of all the secrecy. But he did trust Peter and would until it was proved that his trust and loyalty were misplaced. Sometimes he wondered if he was a bit too trusting.

  
After almost five months of being in New York, Stiles had mastered a lot of the things that he could do. Sam would always be proud when he would learn something new, the look in her eyes making warmth pool in his stomach. It made him want to work all the more harder just to see that look again and again. He now had complete control over all the elements, including death. But raising the dead and dealing with spirits was dangerous, took a lot of energy and was better left alone. The experience still made him shiver from disgust. The other elements, Air, Earth, Fire and Water were much more easier to manipulate and the things he could do with them awed him constantly.

  
He learnt how to make all kinds of potions, ranging from simple reviving ones to complex growing your hands back, kind of potions. Stiles could also imbue amulets with his magic, each amulet performing a special function, such as self protection. He could now banish demons back to hell, not only survive, but also defeat a lot of the supernatural creatures that existed. Even if he couldn’t use his magic, Michael and Mark had trained him enough to know how to survive all kinds of situations. He would help the New York pack with anything that he could, doing his most to repay all the kindness that he had been shown though they insisted that he was family now. The first time that Michael had referred to him as family, he had broken down and bawled his eyes out onto Michael’s shoulder, sagging into his warm embrace. He had trusted them with the whole story of his involvement with the creatures that go bump in the night back in Beacon Hills. He had told them about Gerard’s torture, the Alpha pack, the Darach, the Nogitsune, Dread doctors, Donovan and everything in between. They had been appalled at how the Beacon Hills pack had treated Stiles and the murderous glint in Michael’s eyes had been terrifying. The puppy pile that had ensued after his confession had him crying again, realising that they hadn’t left him after knowing about how he had blood on his hands, “It wasn’t your choice! You didn’t _have_ a choice”, and _wouldn’t_ leave him in the dust. He had an extended and much bigger family now.

  
Almost a month before he would graduate high school (Yes!), he had been sitting with Peter in the school library trying to keep himself awake as his sleep deprived brain begged him to sleep, when the whole structure started to shake violently. They shot up from their chairs and ran out of the room, as all the shelves started falling. Stiles ran to one of the windows to look outside. He saw humanoid creatures with wings, not larger than his forearm. He instantly recognised them as fairies, and was formulating plans on how to get them to leave when he remembered Peter being with him. He looked back fast enough to get whiplash when he saw a huge rock zooming towards him. Before he could stop it, the rock was caught by a web sling which redirected it’s path towards a wall. Stiles traced the web back to its shooter, shocked to find Peter.

  
“Pete! Wha- How? You’re Spiderman! Woah! That’s so cool! Shit! This is so cool! I’m friends with Spiderman. Oh my god!”

  
“Uhh, yeah. I’m Spiderman, which is alright. Now, you need to get back inside before you get hurt.” Stiles saw Peter looking towards the huge wall of Earth that was forming in front of them. Fairies could manipulate elements to some extent and bigger the herd, stronger the magic. And this herd was huge! It was uncommon for fairies to make such huge herds. Yes, they did make large groups but never of this size. He saw a lot of people running about, trying to save themselves and their families from the flying rocks and wood. He had to do something to get the fairies away or at least trap them.

  
“I think I can manage Pete. I know how to deal with them.”

  
“You know what they are?”

  
“Really? That’s your first question? Not how I’m gonna deal with them? Also, they’re fairies” He sent a grin Peter’s way, before calling his spark to the forefront. It was almost similar to breathing now, he was pretty sure he could do it under almost any circumstances. He felt the warmth build up and raised his hands, concentrating on the rising wall of rocks, dirt and everything, willing it to break apart into smaller parts before letting it fall towards the ground. The herd turned towards him in complete synchronisation, disconcerting him. They looked furious and that was another thing that was strange. Fairies were one of the most peaceful supernatural creatures as far as Stiles knew, preferring to keep to themselves, but this herd looked downright murderous. He focused on the air around him and made a barrier around the whole group of fairies. He could see them trying to break through but he tightened his hold. They focused their energies on breaking the barrier which meant that all the earth that they had been manipulating fell back to the ground. He then directed his magic onto the mind of one of the fairies, and found what he was looking for. His hunch had turned out to be right. There was block and an enchantment, which meant the whole herd was being controlled. It was troubling, because controlling such a huge herd at once was difficult and needed a lot of energy. He could see some of the fairies shaking themselves, which meant whoever had cast this spell was losing energy. They might not have expected the encounter with another magic user.

  
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Peter guiding all the civilians out of the line of fire. Stiles then set to work on removing the mental barrier and the spell cast on the fairies. It was almost like unravelling a ball of yarn. The spell wasn’t done intricately because Stiles supposed the other magic user could only either do the spell intricately and cover a small group or make the spell easier but cover a huge herd. Within a minute, Stiles had freed all the fairies and he let go of the barrier of shimmering, glowing air that he had been holding up. One if the fairies at the front of the group, most probably the head, came up to him and relayed her thanks. Fairies usually spoke Latin, which Sam had made him learn. He could understand and speak fairly well, but wasn’t an expert at it . They themselves being magically inclined, could feel the magic that had worked to free them. The head promised her herd's help if he was ever in need before bowing and making her way back. Stiles thanked her and bowed back, as was expected of him. He couldn’t take the promise for help lightly, because a promise made by a fairy was always true and carried out and he was eternally grateful. He turned back towards where he had last seen Peter. Stiles saw him standing there, looking at him with a kind of awed expression. It made Stiles a bit uncomfortable, not used to people looking at him like that. He grinned a little at the thought that Spiderman was his best friend.

  
“So, Spidey huh?”

  
“Yeah. And you? What are you? I mean that was amazing! And were they really fairies? I mean that’s so cool! How did you know about them? And did you just talk to one of them? Was it Latin?” He was almost out of breath by the time he stopped.

  
Stiles let out a laugh, before guiding Peter back towards his temporary, second hand car (He did miss Roscoe, but he needed a car for travelling around New York). They settled down inside before he answered. “I’m a Mage. Yes they were fairies and they mostly speak Latin. Usually they are the most peaceful creatures you’ll ever find, but they were being controlled. I just released the hold on them and they went on their way.”

  
Stiles was tired. His body needed to replenish his magic, though he hadn’t used up much. He drove back to his apartment with Peter asking him all kinds of question and Stiles answering them. In turn, Stiles still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that his _best friend_ was _Spiderman_ and he told Peter as much. Peter blushed at that before waving it off and launching into a new topic. They settled down on Stiles’ couch, with hot chocolate and spent their time talking about anything and everything that came to mind. He explained a bit of the supernatural world to Peter, who looked amazed.

  
Stiles was glad that he didn’t have to go to the shop today as Michael and Sam were busy with some pack business. He was tired and would gladly sleep for however long he could. He didn’t know what he would say to them. On one hand, he might have exposed his magical side in a very very public setting, but he couldn’t let all those people get hurt. He hoped they wouldn’t put him in time out again (That one week without magic and training had been the absolute worst). He depended on his magic a lot now, on the comfort and protection that it provided. He also needed to talk to them about the potential problem they might have considering the other magic user who had been controlling the fairies. He had looked around after the fight but hadn't spotted anyone with magical aura.

  
Seeing how tired he looked, Peter soon made his way back home. It wasn’t until Peter left the apartment that Stiles thought about the fact that Peter would personally know all the Avengers, his _idols_. He berated himself for not thinking about it earlier, blaming his sleep deprived mind. He wouldn’t leave Peter alone until he could prove some of the facts that he wanted!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do my own proof checking and I'm super sleepy now, so there might be mistakes...? Sorry!  
This was my first kinda fight scene. I mean not really a fight scene but still. So, how was it? All constructive criticism is appreciated🙃  
Let me know how you like the story so far?  
And next chapter Stiles MIGHT meet some people he's always wanted to!  
Thank you for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

  
Stiles was broken out of his Saturday morning routine of getting ready for his job plus magical studies by the incessant knocking on his apartment door. He scowled as he went to open the door but the expression soon turned to one of surprise as he saw three men dressed in completely black army-like suits. He recognised the Shield emblem and that served to only increase his anxiety. He should have known that the stunt he took part in so _heroically_ yesterday wouldn’t have gone unnoticed, especially by Shield.

  
“Good morning Mr. Stilinski. We are here to escort you to our Head for interrogation regarding your actions yesterday in the attack that was carried out at your school. Please do not resist or we’ll be forced to take more dire actions.”

  
“Okay, wow. First of all why the hell am I being taken to Director Nick Fury? Yesterday’s attack wasn’t all that big or damaging. And secondly why on earth do you need three (_three_! Stiles felt a little smug about it) Shield operatives to escort one teenager?” he asked a bit too innocently.

  
Stiles felt that the man must be pushing down the urge to roll his eyes as he replied, “After yesterday’s events, your intents and the level of danger you might pose to the public is not clear.”

  
Stiles had expected all this drama as soon as he had seen the Shield operatives at the school and he was really glad that it was a Saturday and that he didn’t have school. He realised that he would have to call Sam and tell her that he’d be late.

  
“I’m sorry, but I have to make a call. I was leaving for work so I’ll need to inform my boss about me being late.”

  
He made the call to Sam, keeping it to the point, not revealing anything and she knew him well enough to take the hint. Stiles kept chattering all the way to the headquarters, playing his part of the talkative teenager (he didn’t really have to act that one out), though his mind was elsewhere. He wondered how much he should reveal, should the organisation not know about the supernatural. He decided that, it wasn’t a decision for him to make. He’ll have to talk to Michael about it before he could say anything. He could already imagine the stern look on both Sam’s and Michael’s face with their hands in their hips.

  
The headquarters of the super secret organisation was just as you would expect it to be, all high tech infrastructure, technology and tight security. He was ushered into the building and flagged by two armed operatives. Stiles waved back to the three men that had brought him here. They seemed amused by his theatrics but only shook their head before walking off. Stiles surreptitiously looked all around, locating and counting all the exits.

  
Yes, he was being trained by Michael and Mark, but he wasn’t exceptionally good at self defence and all the physical fighting. He took well to magic, improving and learning in leaps and bounds (he did win against Sam once!), but his lessons with Michael weren’t that good. He was improving and he could fight well enough, but against any supernatural or a group of thoroughly trained humans, Stiles wasn’t sure how he would fare. After their lessons, he would be so tired and in pain that he could feel the hurt radiating to muscles he never even knew existed in his body.

  
As he counted the number of guards covering the exits, he became pretty sure that he wouldn’t be able to run out of the place, not that he had any other expectations. And Stiles was sure that he didn’t want to publicize the full extent of his abilities. So, he was resigned to listen to them and do his best to get out of there without any consequences. He was rather rudely (Hey!) pushed into a large room, containing a desk placed in the middle with one huge chair and two others at the opposite ends of it. The large black leather chair was turned away from the doorway, making Stiles roll his eyes at the cliché gesture. He turned back around when he heard the door being shut but saw that he wasn’t alone in the room (other than the person sitting in the huge ass chair. He could see his right leg after all). There were two guards standing on either side of him, ready to take action in any case. He sent them both a grin, only receiving a glare in return. Stiles huffed and rolled his eyes again.

  
“Good morning Mr. Stilinski. You’ve created quite the uproar haven’t you?”

  
Stiles wasn’t sure how to reply to the deep, gravelly voice. It sounded jolly enough but he still wasn’t trusting. “I believe, Director Fury, that it wasn’t me that had created all the uproar, but the creatures that had attacked the school. I had only helped in preventing a rather unfortunate accident from occurring.”

  
The rest of the meeting was spent with Fury trying to wheedle out any kind of information from him, but Stiles deflected most of them rather well if you asked him. He told them that he’d be willing to meet again, on the condition that he was allowed to go back home and think about everything. Fury agreed easily enough (though he didn’t look happy about it), seeing as he wasn’t getting anywhere with the interview. Stiles was sure that their curiosity would be somewhat in his favour.

  
He left the building on his own, but Stiles wasn’t stupid enough to think that they wouldn’t have someone tailing him. He walked as if he hadn’t noticed it, but conjured up a glamour as soon as he rounded a corner, projecting himself as an older man with a slightly awkward gait. He lost the two agents following him. He slipped into his apartment and picked up the bag that he took to work (containing his magical supplies and other random things), before checking the wards around the apartment. He made them stronger than usual. Stiles surely didn’t want anybody snooping around in his apartment and finding things that he didn’t want them finding.

  
He made his way back to Sam’s shop, wondering if Michael would already be there. He became sure of it when he heard the multiple laughs emerging from inside. He slipped in slowly, covering his scent and footsteps. The concealment was easy enough but really effective when needed. He walked up behind Michael and jumped onto the older man’s back, startling him. Stiles let out a huff of laugh at the sound that the bug bad Alpha made. Soon enough he found himself lying on the floor on his back with the Alpha trapping him, but he couldn’t stop the bout of laughter. Stiles immediately sobered up when he saw the worried expression painted on Sam’s face.

  
“I’m fine Sam. Did you see the news yesterday? I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to reveal anything. I know you told me not to do anything but I couldn’t let all those people get hurt when I could do something about it.” Michael got up and gave Stiles a hand, pulling him up too.

  
“I’m glad that you helped all those people Stiles. I wouldn’t ever find fault in you helping people. But what I’m worried about is your safety now. There’s also another thing that’s been bugging me. Fairies acting so aggressively is practically unheard of and in such a public setting? That’s almost impossible. Did you notice anything Stiles?”

  
“ Yeah. That’s what I wanted to talk about. After I had trapped all of them inside a barrier, I checked them for spells, and found one controlling the whole herd”, their wide eyes might have been comical if it had been for any other reason, “The enchantment wasn’t super strong, but to control such a huge herd, and for so long? The caster must have been really powerful. I tried looking around after the fight, but I couldn’t find anyone! And I wanted to call you yesterday itself but Pete came over. He had been there for the fight and saw me. I told him about myself and before you say anything, yes, I do trust him. Very much.” Stiles really wanted to tell both of them about Pete being Spiderman, but he wouldn’t unless he had the permission to. He sighed dramatically (What? He hadn’t ever said that he _wasn’t_ dramatic).

  
“And wait! Ohh! Right. By the time me and Pete were leaving the school grounds after the fight, I saw Shield agents entering the scene. I fled from there, hoping that I wasn’t seen, but as it turns out I was. Because there were three people at my apartment this morning to escort me to the headquarters.” Stiles rolled his eyes at that as Sam gave a long sigh.

  
“Yeah. Buuut. I met Fury.” Stiles gave Sam a smug smile, “He looks scarier in person you know with the eye patch and the '_I might just kill you if you annoy me enough'_ look. I didn’t tell him anything. I’ve told him that I’ll do a meeting once again after I meet some people and talk about what I wanna do. That’s you guys if you didn’t get the hint.” He finished off with a cheeky grin.

  
Sam and Michael exchanged a look before turning towards him in perfect unison. “Ookay. That’s really creepy. And stop looking at me like that! I took the best course of action I could at the time. They sent people to tail me as if I didn’t know that they’d do that. I put up a glamour and lost them before I made my way here.”

  
It was Michael who replied “You did good. I’m happy. But we need to decide what to do. Whatcha think Sam? Should we tell them if they don’t know?”

  
Sam looked thoughtful and opened her mouth to reply but Stiles cut in “Hear me out okay? Don’t say anything before I finish. I think for now, we could just tell him about me, _only_ me,” Sam spluttered at that getting ready to oppose but stopped at the look that Stiles gave her “because he’s already seen me do the thing at school. I can’t really think of a way to go around that. I’m not saying that well tell him about the whole extent of my magic but we could just tell him about it existing. But no talk of the other supernaturals around the city unless it’s dire conditions and we have no other options.”

  
“But what about your safety Stiles?”

  
“I’ll be fine. I can take care of myself. And also, it’s better that I go instead of putting the whole pack in the line of fire.” The two of them nodded and instantly the sober mood dropped. He spent the rest of the time practicing and playing and bickering with other two, at least till Michael had to leave for pack business. The bookstore wasn’t all that crowded and he got a lot of free time. Stiles called his dad and spoke for a long time before his dad had to get back to work. He wished once again that his dad would soon be here. He didn’t like the distance all that much. He couldn’t regulate his dad’s diet from the other side of the country (though it wasn’t because of the lack of trying. He had put some of his favourite deputies at the Beacon Hills station up to the task of reporting to him whenever his dad tried to sneak around with junk food).

  
The next day, Stiles was woken up by the banging in his door (_again_). He grumbled and pouted as he walked to the door, wondering why people seemed so hell bent on breaking down his door. Though the person on the other side of the door was much more welcome than the people yesterday had been.

  
Pete made his way in, looking all too energetic on a Sunday morning. _Sunday for god’s sake._ He plopped down on the couch, waving Stiles over.

  
“Did you know, that if particles travelled at speed above the speed of light, effect would precede action? As in, we’d die before we were born. Things like that. And such a place could really exist. I read about it yesterday. It was fascinating. What are you still doing over there? Sit your ass down here Sti.”

  
“Oookay, that’s fun and all. But you do realise that you just gave a nickname to a nickname right? Because Stiles is already a nickname.” Stiles made his way over to the couch and sat down.

  
Pete sent a huge grin his way in response. “Now back to the topic. The particles are called tachyons. But that world couldn’t ever meet with ours and it isn’t possible for those particles to travel at speed lesser than the speed of light. That’s just amazing isn’t it? Imagine it Sti!” Pete had his dreamy eyes on display and Stiles only laughed fondly. They spent the morning together and Stiles was glad. It took his focus off the impending meeting with a certain Director. They didn’t talk much about the other part of their lives, sticking to topics like school and gossip. They did answer each other doubts if they seemed to get any. Stiles made sure to ask about the Avengers but Pete sighed and shook his head sadly. He looked at Stiles, switching to his innocent charm, looking a bit guilty. Stiles left the topic, never being able to resist that look.

  
By the time he was ready to visit the headquarters, Stiles was a nervous wreck. This was the first time he was going to willingly reveal himself as a mage to someone he didn’t trust explicitly. He made his way to the place he was taken to yesterday and only had to wait a few minutes before he was ushered into the same room as yesterday. Fury still looked as scary as he had yesterday. Stiles took a deep breath before he started.

  
“Director Fury.”

  
“Mr. Stilinski. I’m glad you joined us today. Are you ready to answer some questions now?”

  
“Yes. Yes I am.”

  
“Firstly, I’d like to know what you are. I think it’s pretty safe to say that you aren’t just an average human?”

  
“You would be correct in your assumption." He took a deep breath again, "I’m a Mage.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeelllll. What do you think?  
Also, if any of you like shadowhunters, you could check out my other work based on the series...? If you want to?🙃


	6. Chapter 6

Fury’s widened eyes brought a laugh out of Stiles, even though he was nervous. He looked at the guards standing behind him. They looked towards him warily, their hands inching towards the weapons on their hips, almost as if they were seeking the safety of the metal. He sighs before looking back towards Fury.

  
“I have no intentions to harm anybody. I’ve been here in New York for almost a year now. And you would’ve known if I was up to something. And the fact that I was the one who stopped the fairies from destroying a part of the city should give me some credit, shouldn’t it?”

  
Fury looked hesitant but he couldn’t deny the facts. He looked warily at Stiles, “Well, Mr. Stilinski, I will be keeping an eye on you. But for now, we can discuss your powers. Would you classify yourself as a mutant?”

  
Stiles sent a pleased grin in the older man’s direction. “Please call me Stiles. Mr. Stilinski is my dad. But before I start, I need confirmation that anything and everything I say will not leave the walls of this room. I need your written word.” On receiving a nod, Stiles sighed and started, “No, I’m not a mutant or a human mutate like Scarlet Witch. I’m a supernatural creature, a Mage. Though I’m human for the most part, if you ignore the fact that I can manipulate energy around me and the magic inside me and some other quirks.”

  
“Okay, it would be great if you could give a demonstration at some point of time in the future? And the fairies? They were supernatural creatures too right? And what about other supernaturals?”

  
“I'll think about displaying my powers. And yes, there are other supernatural creatures. Magic users, Wendigos, Pixies, Kitsunes, Werewolves. There’s a lot. But most of them keep to themselves. Though sometimes there are exceptions.”

  
“Like the fairies?”

  
“No. Not really. Fairies are one of the most peaceful creatures you’ll ever find, unless you harm their herd”, Stiles continued on before Fury could get a sound outside his mouth “The herd that attacked the school was being controlled. I only had to remove the influence of the other person to set them free. But it’s worrying, because controlling such a huge herd is not easy.”

  
Fury, for his part, looked concerned and rightly so according to Stiles. Stiles had given the events of that day a lot of thought. He couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness that he had felt in the magic that had ensnared the fairies.

  
He was broken out of his thought process by Fury starting to speak again. Turns out that Fury was really, really concerned. Stiles couldn’t blame the man for being a bit paranoid about the dangers willing to destroy the city (or the world at large), seeing as he had already faced off with a number of _extra-terrestrial threats._ He asked a lot of questions, most of which Stiles tried to answer to the best of his capabilities. After a long time of what felt more like an interrogation of a criminal that someone asking for information and help, Fury seemed to come to a decision, if Stiles was reading the look of determination in the man’s eyes correctly. He could as easily have been determined to curse Stiles to hell and back. “I’d like to offer something. Would you be willing to work for Shield, be our supernatural guide, if you might, and help us deal with the threat that you specified? Of course, I’ll be conducting a background check on you before I let you enter, but consider the offer? I’ll leave you now. I’ll have the information I need in a couple hours, so we’ll meet here by that time. And you’ll have had time to think over the offer.”

  
Stiles was shocked really. An offer to work here? At Shield!? He wasn’t worried about the background check. Michael had taken care of his “history” and erased all evidences of his previously dubious and slightly extensive criminal background (maybe not _slight_ but don’t judge him! It wasn’t his fault. Running around with amateur creatures that have an animalistic side to them could do that to _anybody_). He nodded at Fury and thanked the man before all of them stood and made their way outside. The guards looked a bit more at ease than when he had revealed the ‘big secret'. As they left the conference room, the Director turned back to him and held his hand out, that Stiles took a bit cautiously. “I’m glad that we worked this out Stiles. If all goes well, I’m looking forward to working with you.” Again, Stiles was gobsmacked by the man’s sudden change. The kinda compliment had his shock quickly changing into a beaming smile that the other man returned though much less evidently. Stiles had only seen the smallest of quirks, though it made him wonder if it was just his imagination running rampant again. It had to be right? Because the mighty and stone hearted Director of Shield smiling? _That_ was far fetched. Even for his overactive imagination.

  
Stiles made his way out of the organisation, keeping an eye out for anybody following him, though Fury had promised not to send anybody to tail him, on being reminded that it wouldn’t work (exactly like last time).

  
Stiles wandered aimlessly down the streets of the bustling city. The sun dipping below the horizon was spilling a multitude of colours all over the structures and people and the whole of New York. There was a twinkle in Stiles’ eyes as he strolled along, with a slow and steady pace, a myriad of possibilities and options and scenarios running around in his head. The reddish golden light painted sharp contours on his face, that were mitigated by the natural warmth that always seemed to envelop him. The busy and rushing people about him didn’t pay him any heed as they went around, worrying about their lives. Stiles thought about all these people, blissfully unaware of the dangers that might be lurking around all corners. He was a bit hesitant about running into this blindly, but he couldn’t ignore the feeling of accomplishment that he felt when thinking about helping protect all these people.

  
It must most probably be his own consciousness, Stiles decided, ingrained from an early age to help protect the ones that need to be. Having a Sheriff as a father and seeing the relief that people felt when seeing his father was enough to consolidate his beliefs about how he wanted to help people. Stiles thought about what his dad might have told him. He heard a sound in his head, sounding a bit too much like his dad, answering him, asking him to serve people in any way he could, but to be safe because his old man needed him back.

  
He felt some deep-rooted courage slowly slithering its way up, giving him strength on hearing the voice. Stiles made the decision. He took his phone out of his pocket, calling Sam and relaying the details of the meeting and his decision to her, hoping that his encrypted phone (on Michael’s insistence) would hold against Shield’s technicians.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

  
Natasha prided herself over the fact that she knew almost everything that went on in Shield, all the ins and outs, the political power play, the backgrounds of the people she worked most closely with, almost everything. Predictably, she was not happy to learn that Fury had already met once with the person that had fought off the creatures that had attacked the school, without her knowing. The boy who had saved the school from obvious destruction, in a much shorter time than her and her team had taken to win over the creatures that they had dealt with last week. And she was kicking herself for not even noticing all this until the boy had come in again! She saw as the boy, a young man really, walked up to the conference room. She followed him, but Natasha already knew that she would not be able to hear the conversation. The walls were sound proofed. She waited outside impatiently, but there was not even a flicker of that emotion on her face. Years of experience had perfected her blank face, the one that scared most people.

  
By the time the occupants of the room had started coming out, her legs were stiff from standing still. She watched, shocked, as the Director shook hands with the boy- “_Stiles_”. What kind of a name was that? Her eyes widened fractionally, not noticeable unless one was really looking for it, when Fury said that he looked forward to working with Stiles. Working with him? When had things moved forward so drastically? Natasha was sure that there must be something about Stiles that had Fury wanting to keep the boy on his good side.

  
There was something that was being hidden. Her suspicions were raised even more when he told Fury not to send anybody after him, that it wouldn’t work. She followed him outside, a bit impressed at how quickly and surreptitiously he had scanned his surroundings, making sure that nobody followed him. She was pretty sure that had it been anybody other than her, he would most probably have seen them. She watched as Stiles walked down the street, seemingly deep in thought. The setting sun gave the boy an innocent and warm look, one that could be misleading but Natasha wasn’t one to trust easily. It had taken her time to trust her team as much as she did now.

  
The boy came to a decision, from the looks of it, as he called someone. She was too far to hear exactly what was said and by the time she slipped nearer, he was already speed walking back towards headquarters. She followed him with quick, silent strides until he reached the waiting area and made himself comfortable on an armchair. She noticed the constant moving of at least some part of his body, be it his twitching fingers or tapping feet. The boy couldn’t seem to sit still, though he didn’t look all that nervous for someone sitting in the Shield headquarters waiting to meet Fury of all people.

  
Natasha casually walked into the conference room, not wanting to be left outside the door and out of the loop. It might only have been half an hour by the time she heard voices outside the door. She turned around as Fury entered the room with Stiles walking behind him, two guards bring up the rear. Whatever conversation had been going on stopped immediately, all eyes drawn to her. She looked back coolly, not perturbed by the stares. Fury looked somewhat exasperated and that had her huffing inside her head. He could be as exasperated as he wanted but she was not going to be left out of the loop about any potential danger _or_ ally. Stiles looked confused at first, but the expression on his face almost immediately morphed into one of recognition and awe. He looked to be vibrating in his place with energy at the sight in front of him.

  
Fury stepped forward and gesturing towards her, said “Stiles, this is – “

  
“The _Black Widow_. I know” he blurted out. He looked embarrassed, his pale cheeks reddening slightly. Natasha almost smiled at the sight. “Wow. I don’t know what to do. This is- I don’t know! Unbelievable! You’re Black Widow. Oh my god.” He exhaled once before looking back at her “Can I shake your hand?”

  
Fury outright laughed slightly while she raised one perfect eyebrow. Again, the blush that covered his cheek had her extending her arm towards him. She was trusting Fury to know that Stiles wouldn’t be meaning harm to anybody yet. Though she wouldn’t be satisfied until she could trust the boy explicitly. The way his hands, quivering with excitement, shook hers, the warmth in his expressive brown eyes and the absolute happiness radiating from him was quite endearing. At the small smile she gifted him, the smile on his face was beaming, almost too big for his face.

  
“So, Director, what is Stiles here for? I’m pretty sure none of the team would be very happy with being in the dark about someone that you are personally taking under your wing, I’m guessing?”

  
The surprise on Stiles’ face confirmed that he had not been informed but Natasha wasn’t bothered. He would have had to know at some time anyway. Fury sighed, a bit too dramatically, if she might say so. “You know about the attacks that have been taking place, like the last one at the school that Stiles here helped stop?”

  
Stiles and Natasha answered at the same time.

  
“Multiple attacks!?”

  
“Yeah, what about them?”

  
Fury looked towards Stiles first, “Yes. Multiple attacks. I wanted to run a background check on you once before divulging any information.”

  
He then looked back at Natasha and continued, “Stiles has some information about the attack and the creatures. I asked him if he would be willing to help us in any cases. He’s here to announce his decision which, mind you, has been interrupted." Natasha casually leant back against the desk, purposefully ignoring the withering look sent her way by Fury. She turned her gaze towards Stiles, who was staring at the two of them, almost as if he couldn’t believe his eyes, “And? What decision have you come to Stiles?”

  
He squared his shoulders, determination and courage showing in his eyes and stance, something that Natasha respected, before replying, “I've decided that I want to help in any way I can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really, really sorry about the late update. I'll have to warn you that the updates will be really sporadic from now onwards. There's lots and lots of work that I have to complete and finding time to write is a bit hard. I'm really sorry! But I'll try my best to update whenever I can.
> 
> Anyway, do you guys think I've got the Natasha feel right? Comments, thoughts?


	7. Chapter 7

Stiles had been sitting there with Fury and Natasha for quite a while, discussing how to deal with the current problem. Stiles was giving them as much information as he could about all the creatures that had attacked the city at various places, within the span of a few days, according to the pictures that they showed him. Stiles was shocked to know that there had been djinns, gnomes, gargoyles, kelpies and Wendigos attacking the city.

  
“Wendigos are man-eating creatures. You saw them right? The grayish skin, pulled tight over the bones and eyes sunk deep into their sockets are usually dead giveaways. But they usually only attack at night and in deserted places, so that they can corner their prey. Which means that again, they were most probably being controlled. They are super dangerous with their claws and sharp teeth. They may look emaciated but they sure as hell are strong. Best way to kill them is decapitate them. That way there’s the least chance of them ever coming back.”

  
Stiles hadn’t realized the amount of time that had passed, not until his phone buzzed with an incoming notification. He took it out of his pocket, only then realising how late it was. He replied to Peter and his dad who seemed worried that he hadn’t messaged them the whole day. It had been a busy day and he was ready to sleep till all his exhaustion wore off, which according to him would take forever. But even if the day had been tiring, he had met the Black Widow! Stiles still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that Natasha was sitting beside him and that he was strategizing about future attacks with the best spy that the world had to offer at the time. He was waiting for the time he would be alone before he could start freaking out over the turn of events.

  
On seeing Stiles’ surprised reaction, Natasha chuckled and said that they should continue tomorrow. They hadn’t made any concrete plans as of yet, seeing as most of their time had gone by in Stiles explaining in the best way he could about every creature that had attacked till now. Natasha smiled once at Stiles, before gracefully jumping off her chair and leaving the room without a backward glance. Stiles could have melted at the smile he received from one of his idols. He thanked Fury, who promised to call him tomorrow, as he too left the building and made his way home. He called his dad once he had changed into his nightwear. Noah sounded as excited as Stiles had when he heard about his son meeting the super spy. They talked for a long time, with Stiles promising multiple times that he would do everything to be safe. He had to remind his dad that he would be working with Shield, that they wouldn’t let him get killed. He messaged Pete, again flipping out about his fantastic day before he finally let sleep catch up to him.

  
The next day Stiles made it to the Shield organization an hour prior to the time that had been set. He’d rather not make a bad image of himself when dealing with Natasha. As soon as he entered, he was ushered into the room that they always sit in. He immediately noticed Natasha already waiting there.

  
“Hello Stiles. Should we start? The Director going to take some time.”

  
“Yeah. We’ll start I guess.” They had only sat there for a while, discussing plans (Stiles was shocked that Natasha had _listened_ to his plans, considered them and sometimes if she agreed, even integrated them into hers), when Fury entered with a flourish. His face was set into a grim expression, more so than what was usual for him. Natasha jumped up from her seating position in a fluid movement, ready for her work. It made Stiles all the more awed at the grace with which her body moved, all coordinated and light but still revealing the strength that she harboured. He could only wish that his body would ever be _that_ coordinated. After he had discovered his magic and started using it, the random and constant twitching and motion if his body had somewhat reduced with the energy stored inside being used, but it was still there. He was still a bit clumsy, still felt like the same lanky boy that everybody back in Beacon Hills had thought him to be, even though he had started filling out now, what with the constant training that Michael put him through.

  
Stiles got up too as Fury came to a standstill in front of them. He looked up expectantly and Fury seemed to decide something as he exhaled and shook his head. Stiles hoped that he wouldn’t be kicked out now, his curiosity was rearing its head quite enthusiastically now.

  
“Okay. You can stay, Stiles, and help us out. We’ll see how good you really are-” Stiles paused at that (hadn’t he already proven himself at the school? Though he did understand Fury’s hesitancy, it didn’t mean he had to _like_ it) “Nat, you keep an eye on him okay? It’s a supernatural attack. Looks to be the same kind as all the ones that have happened so far. So, get going now, both of you. I’ve already sent the location of the attack to you Nat.”

  
Stiles rushed to catch up with Natasha as she sprinted out of the room, barking orders at someone to bring her bike out front. In a flurry of motion, they made their way outside to the waiting bike and Natasha hopped on while Stiles stood there awkwardly, not knowing if he was expected to go with her. “Come on Stiles. We don’t have the whole day.” He was internally screaming as he rode with the _Black Widow_. Stiles didn’t think of the pack he had left back in Beacon Hills all that much now, but he couldn’t deny the fact that it did happen at times and you couldn’t blame him for that, he _had_ spent eighteen years of his life surrounded by most of those people. For example, he thought what they would think of him now, if they ever got the chance to see him. The time away from them had helped Stiles grow and flourish. The dark haze of self-depreciation that had covered his mind at all times back then, had started dissipating, giving way to some confidence and self-worth. With help from Sam and Michael, he _knew_ now that he could help and that he was _wanted_. The thought made him feel free and that was so much more than he could have hoped for back in Beacon Hills.

  
They sped through the traffic, dodging the vehicles and Stiles was soon lost as to where they were heading. Natasha seemed to know though, and Stiles did trust her. The screeching noise that the tires made as they stopped with a skid seemed to alert people to their presence.

  
It took a moment for Stiles to register just who were the people fighting the- _kelpies_? “Wait. What? Kelpies?” He watched as the creatures with humanoid bodies but still retaining their beautiful black hooves, the visual attribute of their real appearance. He turned around as Natasha spoke up, “What is it Stiles?”

  
“Those are kelpies. Shape shifting, sea dwelling horses. There’s not even a water source nearby. Where did they even _come_ from?”

  
A voice broke through their conversation, as Stiles saw a red and golden suit descending towards them, “Why on earth have you brought a child here Nat?” Stiles looked on in complete shock as another one of the Avengers stood in front of him, though he wasn’t being paid any attention other than the quick glance that had raked over him, as if assessing him. “Shit. This is _so_ cool! You’re Tony Stark! God! This is the best. And all the Avengers are here! And excuse me, I’m not a _child_!” Stiles felt like he would faint there with the excitement coursing through his body at meeting _all_ the Avengers together. He had almost forgotten the main reason he was there in the first place and was soon yanked back into reality as he saw one of the kelpies barrelling towards them, seemingly aiming for Tony and Natasha. It was almost like muscle memory as his hands flew up, his mind willing the ground around him to shift and block the creature before it made contact.

  
He felt elated at the proud look Nat sent his way and the smug smirk with which she replied to Tony, “Fury sent him. He’s with me and he can do a lot more here than we could.” She turned towards him then, “So, what should we know about these creatures?”

  
Stiles worked on removing the spell that was controlling the kelpie and he sent his own spell at the creature that rendered it unconscious, before turning back towards Natasha. “They’re strong and are a kind of lesser demon that generally live near water bodies. If you can hold them off for long enough, I’ll work on removing the spells on them and I’ll pit them to sleep like this one. Please try not to hurt them. They aren’t the ones doing all of this.”

  
He felt a satisfied smirk curl it’s way around his mouth at the flabbergasted expression on Tony Stark’s face as he dealt with the kelpie and spouted off the necessary information. He smiled cheekily as the older man sighed and shook his head before taking off to help hold the creatures off.

  
Stiles made his way forward into the thick of the battle, alongside Natasha. He watched as each of the Avengers fought with practiced skill and an easy understanding of what the others were planning to do without having to verbally express anything. He gave himself a second to let the excitement settle, before focusing on the warmth residing in his chest and calling on it to spread through his body. The air around him cackled with the power that ran through every artery and vein in his body. Several heads swivelled towards him, but Stiles didn’t notice them. It was exhilarating and addicting, the power, and Stiles loved it. He loved the warmth that spread throughout his body and supported him whenever he needed it to. He _loved_ his spark.

  
He worked on putting up a barrier of earth around the group of kelpies that had stuck together, essentially trapping them inside. He then willed his spark to work on unwinding the spell, that had been woven more intricately this time. As he kept going, it became easier, which meant the magic user was losing control like last time. As soon as he had put all the kelpies in that barrier to sleep, he looked around again to see if he could spot anybody with a magical signature.

  
It frustrated him to no end that he knew for a fact that it was a magic user but just couldn’t _find_ him. He let out a dejected sigh when he still couldn’t catch any hint of who it might be but as he let his eyes wander the street, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat mesmerised by the sight around him. He watched as Nat dealt blow after blow, with her red hair surrounding her head like a halo and making her look ethereal, looking comfortable and easy in her stance but Stiles saw the way her eyes calculated every minor movement, every second. He saw Tony flying higher than all of them, sending blasts of energy that stopped the kelpies from moving forward, but without truly hurting them. Stiles felt a smile stretch on his face as he realized that the _Iron Man_ was heeding his advice, not hurting the poor creatures. He witnessed Captain America, looking as dashing as ever, and the Winter Soldier fighting side by side, in perfect sync. He watched amazed as Thor, the God of Thunder, with his muscles and sinews bulging and his hair flowing (oh how Stiles could stare forever), tackled a huge group of kelpies surrounding him all on his own. The deep red, almost scarlet, flashes coming from the direction of the Scarlet Witch enraptured Stiles, the display of magic boosting his own spark to work on overdrive. He narrowly missed getting trampled by the Hulk as he ran full throttle, scattering all the kelpies. He could see arrows raining down from somewhere, not really hitting the beasts but the miniature explosions seemed to keep them at bay and of course Stiles watched as Pete in all his Spiderman-ly glory trapped kelpies in his web.

  
There was something positively menacing about the way the group of misfit heroes fought. Stiles didn’t know if it was the looks on their faces or the ease with which they seemed to fight, like the weapons were an extension of themselves, but it made them look dangerous and daunting. He wondered if all their famous and glorified fights had changed something, maybe the way they saw death and destruction. He wondered if they fought in a detached way, keeping their consciousness locked up deep inside their being, liked Stiles had started doing when he got involved with the supernatural. Maybe it was his magic that helped him lock up all his emotions. But being surrounded by all these people, fighting as one, not underestimating him and giving him a chance, it filled Stiles with renewed vigour and strength to keep going and he raised his hands, quivering with power.

  
To anybody watching, Stiles would have looked insane, with a much too large smile covering his face and strength radiating from his whole being. Nature seemed in tune with his self as the sky turned darker, the dark heavy clouds rumbling loudly and wind started blowing a bit more furiously. The ground seemed to shake as Stiles manipulated the power around him. He closed his eyes and asked for permission to use the ancient magic that dwelled in every natural particle that surrounded them. The returning nudge that his magic received, made it expand beyond anything Stiles had tried yet. The deep brown of his eyes were glowing and his whole body seemed to emit a soft white light, which made him look other-worldly and ethereal. Stiles let his magic flow out of him, reach out to all the kelpies in the street and worked on removing the spells that had been cast on them. It worked faster now, with the extra boost he had received and the web-like, intricate designs unravelled easily. He watched as the kelpies seemed to shake themselves out of a stupor, walking towards their brethren with dazed steps. Stiles walked forwards, letting the herd feel his magic and accept it. It was the best way of proving your innocence, letting them judge for themselves what your intentions were. Most supernatural creatures harboured the ability to sense another person’s magic and intent. They seemed to calm down instantly as they felt the familiar twInge of the earthly magic that resided in their lakes and their forests. Stiles watched transfixed as they turned back to their true forms. The shining, majestic black coat and the thick mane of their horse form glowing in the setting sun. Stiles bowed before them before they vanished without a trace back to their homes. He was surprised because he hadn’t known they could do that but the Earth’s magic worked in different and mysterious ways. He turned around, looking back towards the Avengers when he noticed the gnomes rushing towards them. The small, humanoid creatures didn’t look very threatening, but with their sharp razor-like teeth, they could be vicious when provoked. He let his magic, mingled with the earthly one, do it’s work once again as the ground moved around them, trapping the gnomes first and then working on letting them free. Once again, they vanished without trace and Stiles smiled as he let the external power seep out of him. He let his magic reach out and nudge the ancient one, as a sign of thanks and he felt a returned nudge.

  
The Avengers watched, flabbergasted, as the seemingly young _boy_ fought off all the creatures that came at him with a regal look. He looked like a beacon with light emanating from his very being and they were mesmerized. Nat looked kind of proud and Pete was _vibrating_ with excitement at seeing his best friend showcase his true worth. The power that hung in the air was tangible and he ran to hug Stiles as he turned around, the light coming from his body dimming and the wind slowing down.

  
But what neither of them noticed was the camera that had recorded the entire scene, making Stiles’ plan to lay low come to screeching halt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy! Happy Halloween!!  
This chapter is a teeny weeny bit longer than usual (not by much though) and I hope you enjoy it! I look forward to all the lovely comments and thoughts!  
Also, since Stiles' new endeavours will become public some people might just realise what they lost. That might also be seen in the next chapter ;)  
There might be some mistakes in the chapter since I do the proof reading on my own.  
And thank you for bearing with me and my erratic updates. You're all the best!


	8. Chapter 8

Scott was having the absolute worst day ever. It’s seemed the universe was truly conspiring to finish him off. The morning started off with his alarm, that always seemed to screech like a banshee, being broken when he tried to get it to stop. He had almost immediately fallen back onto his bed, the exhaustion from last night weighing him down and by the time he did wake up, he was already late for school. The young werewolf scrambled up and ran to get himself ready for school. Missing out on two lectures combined with his already abysmal grades?He would have a lot to answer for. He ran downstairs, his feet hitting the stairs making a loud noise that he didn’t really care about. But he was rather surprised to find his mom still at home. Didn’t she have a shift or something? He endured through her glare the whole time that he took to have his breakfast before dashing out without another word. Things between them had been a bit shaky since the _idiot_ had been kicked out. He snorted at the thought of that being the understatement of the year. Scott wouldn’t apologize for it, _ever_, because as always, he had done what was good for the pack. He sneered at the thought of the good for nothing human who had brought nothing but pain for everyone around him. The last straw had been Donovan’s _murder_ and him having _magic_. As if something related to that traitor could be anything but dark and dangerous. In truth he did miss having a devoted sidekick and a best friend, but was glad that Stilinski was gone with all the danger that he had posed.

  
The day was gloomy, with dark clouds hanging ominously in the sky, casting the place in a dreary shade. Scott rushed to school on his bike, eager to meet up with the pack and tell them about the pack meeting that night. They needed more information on whatever it was that had now started terrorizing Beacon Hills this time. The number of creatures attacking had increased drastically in the last year and Scott knew that Dr Deaton was doing his best to find a solution. But until then, the pack had to take care of everything that the hellhole attracted.

  
As Scott entered the school building, there was an excited murmur going all around. He strained his ears to listen more intently. There were snippets of conversation that he could hear, everything jumbling up as multiple people tried talking over each other.

  
“-heard he’s around our age too.”

  
“That guy looked so cool!”

  
“-looks a bit like Stiles, doesn’t he?”

  
The last part had Scott’s eyes widening to the extent that some people started giving him weird looks. He schooled his features into his normal haughty look, the one he had adopted after being integrated into the popular group at school. But he still quickened his steps, thoughts running rampant in his mind at the thought of the possibility of _Stilinski_ returning. Just as he turned a corner, Liam crashed into him almost sending them both flying, in his rush. Scott admonished him for not paying attention (“It could have been someone else, someone _human_, Liam”).

  
The younger boy ignored him in favour of grabbing his wrist and dragging him into an empty class. The protests at the tip of his tongue died down, as he realized that the whole pack was gathered there. He looked around in confusion, before raising questioning brows. They were all sporting somewhat of a worried expression. Lydia sighed before looking up towards him. “I gather from your expression that you haven’t witnessed the new internet sensation.”

  
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about. And why would we care about something like that?”

  
“Oh believe me, you’ll care about it a whole lot more fiercely than us. Come here.”

  
Scott moved towards the group that was huddled over Lydia’s phone. He craned his neck, curiosity eating him up. What could possibly have alarmed all of them into risking a meeting during school? The video was a little grainy and it was shaking a lot, but he could make out some guy standing in the middle of the road of what looked like a busy city with his hands raised above him, waving them in weird (but still elegant) patterns. As the video zoomed in, Scott’s breath was caught in his throat. There was no mistaking the dark brown hair and the mole splattered skin. He was frozen and he didn’t move even after the video ended. He realized that the pack was waiting for his reaction with bated breath. 

  
He shook himself a bit to compose his thoughts and roll out the stiffness that had settled into his shoulders “I don’t understand- but how?”

  
There was no way that- that _human_ could take on a whole group of supernatural creatures. And what even were those creatures? Deaton had told them that Stiles had a Spark, a small amount of magical energy, not really all that useful. He must have done something to twist it into something more sinister. He was broken out of his thoughts by Lydia, “We really don’t know. He seems to be powerful. Enough so that he could take on such a huge herd single-handedly.”

  
“Deaton’s already told us that Stilinski’s magic could turn dark. He must have done something to get more power. If that’s the case, and I’m pretty sure I’m right, then we’re lucky that we kicked him out and he left Beacon Hills right?”

  
He tried to sound confident but there was still that tendril of doubt, twisting around in his mind. He _hoped_ that he was right and that Stiles would never return. He could see that most of the pack wasn’t convinced with his less than confident declaration, but there was nothing more that he could do. They left a while later, when the bell rang signalling the start of their next lecture. Scott tried to focus on school, but his mind kept going back to the video and the possibilities and problems that it presented. 

  
Lydia was racking her brain for any information on creatures that could do what she saw Stiles do in that video. It frustrated her to no end that she couldn’t remember anything. Which meant Deaton had to be right about the Spark thing. She had felt guilty for the way that the whole pack had treated Stiles even after he had done nothing but try and help them all, especially her. But that particular feeling was overpowered by her jealousy rearing its head, not quite able to believe that the spastic idiot could ever have something that made him better than her. He couldn’t have _magic_ that could grow and expand. It was this that made her accept, all too easily, what Dr Deaton had fed them with about the darker origins of a Spark's magic.

  
It had taken them a while to realise that Stiles was no longer a resident of Beacon Hills. And when they _did_ realise, they had been alarmed. The information that the Vet had given them made it all too easy for them to jump to the most dangerous probabilities. Scott snooped around the Sheriff’s house, hoping to discern where Stiles had moved off to. But the older man was understandably tight-lipped. This went on for a week, with different pack members doing the rounds. But when they still couldn’t find anything, it was decided that until proved otherwise, Stiles had left Beacon Hills and was out of their hair. He was somebody else’s responsibility now.

  
Most of the pack was confused as to how they should take the news. While Stiles had been a part of their pack, they hadn’t thought very highly of him, only seeing him as a gangly, spastic boy who hung around their Alpha. They, of course, did realise that he _was_ particularly gifted with the art of strategizing. They had come out of a lot of life-threatening situations unscathed due to his detailed plans. And even they had the sense to admit that since they had lost (or rather kicked out onto the curb) their master offense planner, the number of attacks _and_ the injuries had increased. But when Scott and Lydia made the decision to kick Stiles out, none of them deemed it worthy to oppose the move because why would they? It wasn’t as if they were particularly close with the human (though not very human if what they had seen earlier was to be believed). And if the guy’s best friend was ready to abandon him, then why stick up for him and lose their place in the pack?

  
Isaac knew that what they had done to Stiles was wrong on some level, but he just wasn’t ready to get on the bad side of the True Alpha and deal with his volatile temper. Stiles _had_ always helped him but that could still be done by any other number of people present in the pack right? Isaac _needed_ the stability of the pack surrounding him to keep him grounded and wasn’t willing to do anything to jeopardize that, even if he had to deal with the slight guilt he felt whenever he thought about the teen who had helped him through some of his tough times, if only by being there with him. 

  
There was a tense environment hanging over the Beacon Hills pack throughout the day as they moved about their life, each of them thinking if there would be any major changes underway.

~*~

  
Derek Hale wasn’t sure what to make of the video that Cora had just shown him. The magic user in the video was most certainly Stiles but Derek was sure that the place was not Beacon Hills. After he had left his childhood home with Cora and Peter, he hadn’t even tried to maintain any kind of contact with the pack there, not even his favourite part of the pack, Stiles (though he won’t admit it, part of it was because of his rather unfortunate lack of knowledge about how to handle social media). Of course, now after he had watched _that_, Stiles was going to hear from a pretty bewildered wolf about just what was happening in his life. 

  
Derek turned towards uncle Peter as he spoke, “He looks great, doesn’t he? Seems like he’s pretty comfortable too, with his hand waving and all.”

  
Derek could only nod as he watched the video again. Stiles looked powerful, _regal_. More so than anybody he had seen yet. There had been a white glow surrounding him. No, not surrounding him. It almost looked as if the light was coming from within Stiles’ body. It made Derek wonder just what kind of magic user Stiles was to give off such a physical representation of his energy. He racked his brain for any kind of information that he might have come across in his years. It was then that a sudden memory assaulted him. 

  
He remembered the time when they had been dealing with Jackson being a Kanima. Stiles had come over to his loft, with an armful of snacks and drinks. Derek fondly remembered the teen, with all his excess energy, had stormed into the loft, alone, demanding to have a proper conversation and a movie night with his 'Sourwolf'. He smiled at the memory of the person he had come to regard as his little brother more than anything else. At that time though, he had been surly and thoroughly put out at the suggestion of spending time with the boy. That night was when he had learned about Stiles being a _Spark_, though he hadn’t known what it meant. But he had trusted Deaton during those times and had dismissed the boy’s supernatural inclination. He hadn’t seen the look of disappointment that had crossed the teen’s face though. He was sure now that Stiles would be _livid_ with him. He had left the town and hadn’t given his new number to anybody. He had been in doubt, whether Stiles would want his number or not. In the end he had decided to not risk his embarrassment and had left.

  
He looked around the living room of the apartment that the three of them shared. Cora was sitting beside him, looking deep in thought and uncle Peter was lying on the sofa across from them.

  
“Uncle Peter, what do you know about Sparks?”

  
His uncle raised a questioning eyebrow before answering, “Sparks are essentially magic users who can use magic from within their body as well as use any kind of magical energy around them. This makes them particularly powerful, since they don’t have to limit themselves to a specific branch of magic. But why the sudden interest?” 

  
Derek only raised his eyebrows. He watched as both Peter and Cora understood his reference. 

  
“You think Stiles is a Spark?” Cora seemed a bit apprehensive, but before he could reply Peter had lost his cool façade and was stuttering out, “The l-last known record of a Spark was decades ago. It’s mostly genetic, the transfer of power. Every few generations, the power which remains dormant in the blood, selects someone worthy and gets activated, manifesting in the birth of a Spark. Though, every person of the family line is born with the power, only very few are deemed worthy and even then, their powers are only activated after a certain age.”

  
Derek was surprised. He had seen for himself how powerful Stiles looked, but to hear that, it was unnerving. He wished Stiles wouldn’t be _too_ angry with him. He looked at Peter as he spoke, “When we had been dealing with the Kanima, Stiles had come to my loft. He had revealed to me that Deaton said that he had a Spark. The Vet, according to Stiles, had described it as a small well of energy that he could use in times of emergency, mostly useful in manipulating mountain ash.”

  
Peter snorted at that, “Of course the bastard would do that. But, I wonder why Stiles never researched about it himself.”

  
“He’s far too depreciative of himself to have thought much about it I guess.” Peter hummed at that, seemingly thinking of something else. Cora was looking at her uncle with an inquisitive expression but Peter just waved it off.

  
Derek receded back into his thoughts and contemplated whether he should call Stiles or not.

~*~

Stiles was giddy with excitement as he was led back to Shield headquarters with the _Avengers_! He was walking beside Pete who looked just as excited at the possibility of working with Stiles. They were both gushing and Stiles watched as Tony rolled his eyes at them. Most others sent curious glances his way but nobody voiced their questions, waiting to reach the relative safety of the sound proofed room before unloading their barrage of questions.

  
As they walked in as a group, Fury was already waiting for them. 

  
“I see you’ve already met our newest addition.”

  
Stiles was beaming once again, as he turned out to be the centre of attention. The looks did make him feel a bit uncomfortable, his insecurities rising to the surface, but he did his best to push it all down.

  
The first question, unsurprisingly, was from Tony, “What are you?” He snorted at the bluntness of the question.

  
As Stiles set about explaining his abilities, the others listened with rapt attention. It made Stiles feel content, feel _proud_ of himself. He answered the same kind of questions that he had with Fury. For the most part, they seemed to trust Fury’s decision, though he saw the Scarlett Witch look interested when he mentioned the different type of magic that he used. Fury cut short the interrogation, seeing how exhausted Stiles looked. They were all ordered to go home and rest. "You'll all be receiving a message as to when our next meeting will be held. Expect it to be within the week. Now, go home all of you."

  
Pete tagged along as Stiles went back home, ready for a shower and his soft bed. The two of them quickly showered, had their dinner and went back to Stiles’ room. Stiles called his dad and Sam, reassuring them that he was completely fine. He promised Sam that he would make it to the pack gathering tomorrow, before the two of them met for his training session. He lay there on his bed with Pete for a while, talking about random things, before exhaustion dragged the two boys into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's very very hard to find time to write with how busy my days have been. I'm not even getting any weekend holidays from my studies and it's exhausting. I do wish I could post chapters faster but I'm really sorry.  
Anyway, how was the chapter!? I'm really sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical mistakes. I do my best to look over it once after I've finished it but I can't guarantee that it will be error free. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

_It was cold. Cold and dark and completely silent. Stiles looked around but nothing made sense really. Fear gripped his heart and mind. Then a piercing scream tore through the dark and silence. A pinpoint of light far in the distance. He ran, ran as fast as he could towards the source, desperate to get out. He willed his legs to go faster. As he drew closer, the point source turned into a screen, a tunnel vision of sorts. The feeling of watching through someone else’s eyes, it terrified him._

  
_ “No, no, no. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.”_

  
_Still, it was dark enough that he couldn’t count his fingers. His breath came as short, staccato bursts. He watched as his hands and his actions hurt people around him. He watched horror dawn on the faces of every person that he came across. He watched Scott, Allison, Lydia and every pack member with fear in their eyes. The victims kept changing. Suddenly it was Derek in front of him, with Stiles’ own hands thrusting a knife into his abdomen, just as he had done with Scott. He tried, as hard as he could, to stop or at least turn away but he was fixed, he was frozen and he was not in control. The image distorted a bit before he saw Sam and Michael and Mark, all kneeling on the ground, bloodied and barely breathing. He felt his body lose all its strength but even then, he couldn’t fall. The dark spirit made him watch as it hurt all those he cared about. He saw his dad being dragged in with the rest, in the same condition. He could feel the sinister smirk twisting his lips as the Nogitsune readied to give the final blow. Sobs wracked his self as he tried forcing the spirit out. But outwardly, his body was calm and coordinated. The spirit cackled at the sorry state of the mind it had possessed. Stile screamed as loud as he could, willing all his strength to push, push the spirit out but nothing worked and his legs still moved forward. The knife in his hands was held delicately, almost as if it was revered. He watched as his hands raised it for the final time, watched as the fear in the eyes of the people he loved increased, watched as the knife sailed down in an arc. His throat was hoarse with how loud he was screaming-_

  
Blind in the darkness, Stiles jerked awake, gasping and fighting to breathe. He tried calming himself and his loudly beating heart, afraid that the strength of the beating would break his ribs. He could feel the sweat making his clothes stick to his body, his hair plastered across his forehead. He tried focusing on anything and everything. He ran his trembling hands across his face and through his hair. He couldn’t shake off the feeling. He swung his legs over the edge, letting his bare feet touch the cold floor. He stood up, teetering dangerously, as exhaustion hit his body. His throat felt dry and scratchy. He walked towards the kitchen, willing his mind to focus on anything else. He flipped on a switch as he entered the kitchen, flooding it with light. The brightness soothed him somewhat, but he could still feel his erratic heartbeat. The cool liquid flowing down his throat was a blessed feeling as he leaned against the counter, his legs feeling far too weak to support his whole weight. It had been some time since he had had such a nightmare, the ones that rendered him breathless and scared. He focused on the coldness of the night, brushing across his skin, settling there. Stiles didn’t know how long he stood there, just trying to calm himself, but after a while he trudged back to his room. The bedsheets were slightly wet as he sat down, his sweat having seeped through. He wasn’t sure he could sleep again but the exhaustion weighing down his body made him lie down. He kept his desk light switched on, finding comfort in the soft yellow glow that illuminated the room. Sometime through the night, his eyes closed of their own accord and he was lost to sleep.

~*~

Stiles was fidgeting, his nervousness manifesting as erratic twitches and his bouncing leg. He was good at pretending though, pretending that he was fine. Staying with werewolves had its perks. He had to learn how to hide things so that the pack he had been part of back home wouldn’t have a clue as to what went on inside his mind. Not that most of them had cared for the last year that he had stayed in Beacon Hills. New York and his friends were slowly chipping away the walls built. He did trust a lot more people now, but he still wasn’t completely ready to join a pack again. He had complete faith in Michael and Sam, but they weren’t the only people in the pack. The New York pack was huge and Stiles wouldn’t -_couldn’t_ join the pack when he wasn’t sure how many people would receive him with open arms. Michael had already offered him a place in the pack twice but he had refused both times. The Alpha hadn’t been put off, he understood that Stiles needed time. Stiles loved Michael, a lot. Since coming to New York, the Alpha had been like a second dad for him, guiding and mentoring him, though he wasn’t all that much older than him. Just as Sam had turned out to be his kinda dorky but serious and dependable big sister. They would wait till he was ready and he would then be officially part of the pack. He was good at projecting himself as the happy and confident teenager but the years of downgrading with the old pack wasn’t easy to forget or erase.

  
But all that still didn’t matter as Stiles stood in front of the door leading to the pack house. Or rather a whole building that housed a part of the pack. Most people lived with their families in their own homes or apartments, only coming to the “Den” for pack meetings and such. But Michael, Sam and a few others lived there permanently. He took a deep breath before he pushed open the lobby door and made his way up to the third floor, which is where the party (would it be called a party if it was just everybody from the pack meeting monthly?) was being held. He weaved his way through the throng of mostly hyperactive people who were intent on loudly socializing. Stiles found Sam at the very back of the room, lounging on an armchair with Michael and Mark press out on similar sofas. He let himself fall down beside her, making her shift to one side to avoid being crushed, though the two of them were still squished beside each other. There was another guy sitting to their right. His dark brown hair was styled to perfection. He had a strong jawline and the slight crookedness of his nose suggested that it had been broken at least once. Sharp, icy blue eyes stared back at Stiles as the two assessed each other. Sam, being her usual hyperactive self, introduced the guy, “Sti, meet Greg. He’s an old friend of mine. Greg, meet Stiles, my honorary cute little brother.”

  
The guy- ‘Greg’- smirked at the description but he raised his hand in a little wave that Stiles returned. “You’re not all that old Sam. Just a couple of years. Not as old as Michael here, are you?” That earned a huff and a light kick to his shin that had all of them laughing. Michael wasn’t very old, just entering his early thirties but the way he guided all of them, it made him seem like the father of the group. They talked for a while about random things concerning the pack and sometimes not even that, just gossip and news.

  
“Damien and Aurora are going to have a child. She’s 8 months along now, so it’s going to be soon.” Michael looked excited for the new pup to join the pack. Stiles was grinning at the older man's excitement when he felt as if someone was staring at him. His training and his magic had increased his awareness somewhat. He looked up to see Greg staring at him. Stiles instantly felt uncomfortable but he smiled nonetheless, hoping not to offend Sam's friend. The gesture was returned with a slightly awkward grin. He realized then that he didn’t know what Greg was or if he was human. He focused on feeling the aura around him. It seemed hazy but Stiles attributed that to the fact that he wasn’t completely proficient at recognising auras. But from what he could feel, it seemed small, almost as if it was contained. He didn’t know if that was possible and Sam had never mentioned such a thing. He dismissed the trepidation for now, but he did plan to research on the topic. If Sam and Michael trusted the guy, he would try his utmost to do the same. 

  
Since most of the pack had kids and they wouldn’t be able to attend at night as the next day was Monday, the kinda party was held in the morning. He and Sam had plans to train for a couple of hours after this. The normal long hours of training hadith be cut short for the party and since he also had his normal shift at the bookshop in the evening.

  
As the crowd started trickling out, he waved goodbye to Michael and Mark. After a seconds hesitation, he also waved to Greg and that earned him a huge goofy smile. It was hard to not smile back at that and it made him feel a bit bad for jumping to conclusions with the guy. He seemed great and it wasn’t as if Greg had done something that Stiles found questionable. Stiles made his way to the shop with Sam following behind. They went into the room hidden behind the glamour that he had noticed when he had first come here.

  
The room was filled with candles, that according to Sam were calming. Some of them were floating and it made Stiles think of the Great Hall from Harry Potter. He grinned at Sam’s obsession with the series but it wasn’t as if he was any better. He had literally lost count of the number of times they had fought over who the best characters were, which was the best house (Stiles was adamant that Slytherin had the best traits and that they were only misjudged whereas Sam was loyal to Gryffindor). He was jolted out of his thoughts when Sam pushed him into the room and instructed him to sit down on the floor, cross legged. She then sat down in front of him and gave him a slight smile before launching into the day’s lesson. 

  
“We’ll learn about transformations or transfiguration today.” The grin that was sported on her face was enough indication of how excited she was and the fact that there was another Harry Potter reference was all but expected now. He had to admit though, that the thought of changing things from one form to another or maybe even transfiguring parts of himself was a very, very exciting prospect. “Just like every part of your lessons, this will also be based on your belief and how well you know your body, because when you’re changing a part of your own body, you need to know even the smallest and most insignificant fact about it to change back. But first we’ll start with easier things. I want you to focus on this,” she held up the carved figure of a lion that had always been on the table in the room, “and observe it carefully. Look at every ridge, every cut and the texture. Memorize it. Now, build up a mental image of what you want to change it into. Try changing it into another animal for now.” She handed the figurine to him and he focused on it before he willed his spark to settle over the wood that made up the figure. He closed his eyes in concentration. Stiles could feel the change happen and when he opened his eyes, the figure in his hand was now a dragon. It didn’t look as perfect as he had expected it to but he still felt proud. The wood didn’t look as polished as it was before and the scales weren’t very detailed but it still looked like a dragon and Stiles was happy. He would of course improve with Sam teaching him and when he looked up at her there was a fondness and pride in her eyes that resulted in a huge torrent of warmth engulfing his insides. 

  
They spent the rest of the hour going over things and practicing again and again until the dragon looked as perfect as it could. It looked terrifying with it’s snout open in a roar, jagged teeth framing the sides. The scales were a shimmering black that Stiles had chosen. It glinted in the soft light of the room and the tail was long and winding. It’s wings were spread as if it were about to take flight. He had been allowed to keep it, after Sam had fallen prey to his puppy eyes. They ended the lesson after Sam instructed him to let his spark explore his body once every night before he went to bed. They moved out of the room after that, to find Michael handling the customers with his ever present smile and charm. The two of them took over then, allowing Michael to relax after the particularly busy hours at the shop. It always amazed Stiles that he could feel so comfortable with these two people. They would joke, talk, tease and work and it was just so refreshing that Stiles always found himself leaving with a much lighter heart. He and Sam were again, arguing about whether the dark brown table at one end of the shop should be kept or destroyed (destroyed on Stiles’ opinion, that thing was just down right dirty and hideous), when his phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and frowned at the unknown number. He gestured to Sam that he’d be taking a call and went to the back of the store.

  
“Hello?”

  
“Uh, hey Stiles.”

  
The voice on the other side shocked him into silence. Stiles wasn’t sure what to make of this. He hadn’t heard the voice in so long, but there was no way that he wouldn’t recognise the voice, with its deep baritone and the gruffness. It had been _so long_. He had considered the man as his _family_ and it had all been thrown right back in his face. But even then, hearing the voice made something in his chest twist, the feeling making it harder to breath. He was almost sure that he would cry if he thought about it for long because he _still_ thought of him as someone he cared about a lot more than he did for himself. Stiles shook his head. Derek Hale did _not_ have the right to make him feel so vulnerable after _abandoning_ him for so long.

  
“I don’t know why on earth you called Derek, but I assure you there’s nothing that you might have to say that I want to listen to.” He hated how his voice had gone a bit higher and there was a definite tremble in it. Sam shot him a worried look at his raised voice but he just shook his head. She nodded at him and went back to her work but kept shooting glances at him. “You have no right to be calling me after what you did and if you think that I’ll be forgetting it so easily and talking to you-“

  
He was cut off then, “I know that Stiles, and I’m really, really sorry for what I did. I _don’t_ expect you to forgive me and that’s fine but I’m just really sorry and I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t think you’d want to remain in contact. I know it was stupid of me but it’s just- look, I really don’t know what I was thinking at the time and I don’t have any excuse for not initiating contact for so long but I’m ready to grovel and do everything to get my little brother back.”

  
The rambling wasn’t something that was characteristic of Derek Hale. It made Stiles smile just a bit. He schooled in his expression then and thought of the best reply that he could give. “Derek, I thought of you as _family_, as my brother. Do you even remember how many times I willingly came to your loft to spend time with you? Even when you were a giant prick about it with the permanent scowl and all? Do you know just _how_ much it hurt to think that I had meant so very little to you that you left without even a backward glance? I’m really sorry Derek, but it hurt a lot. I _still_ consider you my brother, but I won’t and I _can’t_ forget everything wo fast okay? You’ll have to give me time, take it slow okay?” He hadn’t realised that there were tears rolling down his face, but it felt good to get it all out of him. This was something he hadn’t told anyone about, not even Sam.

  
“I don’t expect you to forget Sti and I’m definitely willing to give you as much time as you need okay? And this time I _promise_ that I won’t leave. Alright?”

  
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.”

  
They talked for a bit, the conversation somewhat stilted and a little awkward but it warmed Stiles’ heart nonetheless that Derek was willing to try. He knew just how much the guy hated socialising and how bad he was at it, but the fact that he had talked for so long, about how he had been and what the three Hales had been up to, it was refreshing and kinda adorable. He laughed mentally at the expression that would have come over Derek’s face had he heard his thoughts. He could almost picture the frown, the slight burrowing of his thick eyebrows, the narrowed gaze. And in the end, when he ended the call, the happiness that was practically oozing out of him caught the attention of the two other people in the shop. Stiles was shocked at how fast time seemed to have gone. The shop was closed and it was just the him, Sam and Michael left in the shop. He scurried, waving a hurried goodbye, apologizing and promising that he’d tell them the details later. He was going to be meeting Pete for one of their weekly sleep overs and he was already half an hour late.

  
He ran back to his place, as fast as he could, in the steady throng of people. He found Pete just outside his door, apparently in the process of trying to pick the lock and get in. His head snapped up as Stiles cleared his throat. His raised eyebrows were rewarded with a sheepish grin that made Stiles feel all warm and mushy. He tried to squash the feeling that seemed to crop up whenever Pete smiled at him or rather even when the boy did nothing at all.

  
He spoke as he opened the door, “How many times have I told you to keep a key with you? That way at least you won’t have to go about picking locks and trying to get doors open.”

  
They settled on the couch in the living room, with dinner and a movie. It was peaceful and calm and Stiles was only just drifting off as Pete poked him. He had his head pillowed on Stiles’ shoulder and Stiles was resting his head on top.

  
“Huh?” The sleepiness must have been evident in his voice because the younger boy quickly started to wave off the question.

  
“No, no. I’m already up. What was it?”

  
“It’s just- I don’t know. I’m confused about things. I know that what I do is ultimately good for the people, but I don’t know how I feel about hurting people sometimes, even if they’re criminals or people aiming to harm others.”

  
Stiles could feel Peter’s breath, sending a tingling sensation across his neck. He shook his head and focused on the question. “I really don’t know if I’m the best person for asking suck question. I’m morally ambiguous at my best.” And that was true because it had been proved time and again that he could hurt or even kill something that threatened to hurt the people that he loved.

  
“I trust you Sti, and I don’t know, but I feel comfortable talking with you and just generally being with you.” 

  
“You can _always_ talk to me Pete. Got it?There’s nothing that I won’t do for you and if you want me to listen, I’ll do that for as long as you want alright? And just remember how many people’s lives you save _every_ day. Think of how many more people might have been injured or maybe even killed if you hadn’t stopped the perpetrators. You have done nothing wrong and you’re one of the best people I’ve _ever_ known.”

  
Whiskey coloured eyes looked intently into dark brown eyes as the words seemed to sink into Peter’s mind. Stiles could feel his heart beating a little faster at how close they were and his eyes darted a look to Peter’s lips. He tore his gaze away and settled in again. They stayed that way for a long time, nothing disturbing the silence and the calm that had settled over the two. Stiles could feel Pete’s warmth seeping into him, the body pressed against his side, a constant reminder of what he was feeling. It scared him somewhat because he didn’t want to lose Peter. He had known for a long time that he wasn’t exactly straight. He had of course loved Lydia, so had come to the conclusion that he was most probably bisexual. No one knew about it of course, except his dad and Derek. He wasn’t sure if could tell Pete, because his feelings might create some awkwardness. The younger boy’s breathing had evened out some time back and Stiles still couldn’t stop his thoughts from spiralling. The peaceful expression on Pete’s face made him look even more vulnerable. It made warmth pool in his heart. He really did like Peter but he definitely wasn’t willing to chance it when their friendship was at stake. And anyway, he hadn’t gotten any indication that Peter was anything but straight. He glanced at the clock in his living room. It was past eleven and he was just getting ready to wake Pete so that they could move to his bed when the sound of his phone’s ringtone broke the silence that had enveloped the room. Peter jerked awake at the loud sound and Stiles cursed whoever the caller was for disturbing them at such an ungodly hour. He picked up the phone and was just going to dredge out an irritated response when Fury’s deep voice cut him off.

  
“We will need you to come in Stiles. There’s been an incident.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so sorry for taking so long to post. Life is super hectic now. I'm in 12th grade and my final exams are just a month away and I also have my college entrance exams coming up. All of this results in very less time for writing anything. But as an apology for taking so long to post, this chapter is a bit longer than my usual ones, so I hope you enjoy it!  
Also, Stiles and Peter? Thoughts?  
And I want to thank everybody who's commented, liked, subscribed and bookmarked this story. It means a lot to me!  
Thank you! ❤


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really really so very sorry for being gone for soo long! Life has been really hectic and shitty for these past months and I've really not had any kind of break for this long! Though my 12th grade exams ended, my college admission tests were postponed due to the pandemic and we're still in lockdown in my country. And since the test was postponed the teachers decided that we should have tests every. Altetnate. Day. I'm not even kidding! So again, I'd like to apologize for the really long wait!

It seemed that even Peter heard the urgency in Fury's voice (enhanced hearing, of course), as he jumped up just as Stiles did and ran around the room, picking up his bag that stored his suit, his shoes and whatnot before coming to a stand still in front of Stiles who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a tapping foot. Nobody’s ever said that he’s not a mother hen, have they?

  
“What? I'm coming no matter what you say so it would be infinitely better if we just leave now and also steer away from this conversation. Do you _want_ to hear Fury ranting about our 'tardiness'?” Stiles only rolled his eyes before moving towards the door after beckoning Peter to follow. And Peter, being himself only grinned before sprinting forward and running past his taller friend. They made their way to base as fast as they humanly could have, not that they were completely human but that’s just semantics. It seemed they were already late since a _lot_ of people were already gathered in the usual meeting room. 

  
Stiles doesn’t think the door had even closed before Fury launched into his explanation, “There was another attack today. We received the message too late to have called any of you but some of Coulson's team and other Shield agents were able to capture the creatures without too much damage. They’re locked up for now-” He looked at Stiles next, “- but I’ll need you to do whatever it is that you normally do. Now, the reason why I called you here is, we need a plan to take care of this. We can’t in all actuality just keep running around, _hoping_ to stop all attacks before they cause too much damage.” Most of the Avengers only nodded at that, not having much more to add since they _were_ pretty tired of all the successive and far too excessive fighting. 

  
Stiles looked around, waiting for somebody to start the discussion and lead. But most of them were only looking at each other, seemingly uncomfortable. It was then that he suddenly realised that they were probably unsure about him. Seems they didn’t trust Fury as much as Natasha did. “Director Fury, I’ll go take care of the creatures first. Until then you can start planning and then let me know when I come back?” He said with a pointed look. Fury only sighed, nodded his head and motioned for him to go. Natasha spared him the slightest of smiles before she turned back to the group and Pete (who had divulged himself of his mask) only grinned and nodded at him.

  
The people in the room collectively turned towards Fury the minute Stiles was out the door. It was Tony who first spoke up, “The kid’s from Beacon Hills. Dad is a cop, Mum died from an illness early on. Had a restraining order filed against him at some point of time. Was that because somebody found out about his voodoo?But the thing is the town he’s from has been a hotspot for crimes for some time. Weird cases that the police couldn’t solve. I’m not saying he was part of all that, but how are we trusting him this easily?” There was complete silence at that. 

  
Fury replied before anybody could butt in “I know there’s no major reason to trust him other than the fact that he has helped us in these cases every time we’ve called him in. But the way I see it, even if you think he’s pretending to be the one helping I’d much rather have someone as powerful as that closer so that at least I can keep an eye on him. And if there’s anything leaking out, we’ll have certain proof of his loyalties. But if he really is helping, then the help is really really needed right now. Other than Wanda I don’t know any of you who could help with the situation as of now, considering the creatures are being manipulated. And outside of his powers, the supernatural knowledge he has is invaluable right now. So, no one’s antagonizing the kid for now. Play nice all of you” Most of them nodded at that, except Peter who looked like he wanted to say something but visibly held himself back as Tony posed the next question.

  
“Speaking of that, how is it that Shield had no idea of the supernatural world existing before this? Aren’t you guys supposed to be the all knowing spy group?”

  
“We did actually know that a supernatural world existed. But it wasn’t as if we had the information on how to approach them or even recognise them.” Just as Fury ended the statement, Stiles pushed the door open and entered the room. “All myths have some truth to them. You just have to know enough to avoid things and know where to look for the truth. That’s how I survived back in Beacon Hills before coming here.” Most of the room perked up that snippet of information. ‘Survived?’ That would imply him not being the instigator but before anybody could interrogate him on that, he dived into his explanation, “So, the creatures were gnomes again. I’m really not sure how he’s bringing all of them here. Because there’s no actual habitat that could house all these supernatural creatures here, with New York mostly being so modernized. Back in Beacon Hills there was huge forest-y place and a weird-ass tree that attracted all kinds of supernaturals. Which is why the place is literally a hell hole. Anyway, anybody come up with a plan?” Stiles tried his best to look as cool and collected as possible after that word vomit but the attention of the entire team of Avengers wasn’t something you could exactly thrive under. It was Fury who called the attention back to himself. 

  
“I’m not sure what more we can do now since there’s no actual leads to go on. I want all of you to stay alert and not go off the grid anytime soon. We'll up the security. And I want all the information I can get my hands on. Stiles?”

  
“I’ll do my best. Ask around and all that.” The Director nodded at that and they quickly wrapped up the meeting. Stiles made his way back to his apartment with Pete. Peter was ranting then, “Why did Fury call us in at midnight if there’s nothing we could even do?”

  
“I think he was mostly a bit worried about what’s been happening. Knowing him, it must be super stressful for the master spy not having every scrap of information about the situation. And anyway, he would have needed me to help the gnomes after all.”

  
“That might be it but it feels too weird thinking about Fury being stressed. He’s never seen as anything but calm and collected” Peter joked before continuing a bit more hesitantly, “I know you don’t like talking about what happened where you come from but it was brought up today when you went out. Mr. Stark found out about Beacon Hills, the restraining order and all the unsolved crimes. They think you might have had a hand in it maybe. The director calmed them down but I think some of them might still be a bit on edge. I won’t force you to talk or anything, but you know that you can talk to me at anytime right?”

  
Stiles honestly felt so touched after that speech that he couldn’t help but hug the shorter guy as tightly as he could. Pete let out a surprised oof as arms wrapped around him. He let himself melt into the hold slightly and enjoyed the rare moment of silence. The hug felt somewhat intimate and Peter was loathe to let go too soon. If these were the moments he could get to be in close contact with his crush, why would he ever want it to end? But the moment was broken almost immediately after that thought when his hunger made itself known with an embarrassingly loud noise. 

  
Stiles broke the hug and looked down at Pete whose cheeks were tinted red and laughed before heading towards the kitchen and heating the leftovers from the dinner. He walked out in a couple minutes and set the plate in front of Pete, who by now had sat down on the couch. Soon enough, they cleaned up and Stiles went back to his room and Peter took the couch for the night. Both of them fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the pillows, the weariness weighing them down.

~*~

  
Since today was actually was a Sunday, Stiles made his way to the pack house as soon as he could. He wanted to talk to Sam, Michael and Mark about what was happening. They had set about the task of looking into their contacts about anything suspicious but he hadn’t heard from them. He hoped they had found something. He quickly made his way to Sam’s room and knocked on the door. All three of them were already inside and judging by their expressions there wasn’t much of any kind of good news. Stiles sighed before letting himself fall onto the bed beside Michael who was lounging there. He rested his head on the older man’s lap and immediately felt hands running through his hair comfortingly. He must have been visibly worried but he was thankful for the small show of affection. All four of them sat there for a little while, basking in the silence and calmness before Sam hesitantly started the conversation looking at Stiles, “We’ve been looking but there’s literally nothing turning up. For the moment all these attacks are mostly contained in New York and there’s been no news of any activities or even suspicions outside of here. Which makes me think that this is most probably a personal grudge. But it could either be against the pack or maybe even the city itself. I don’t know what else. We don’t even have any leads on what he or she might be other than the fact that they can use mind magic.”

  
Stiles suddenly sat up after that, hitting himself on his face as if he's exasperated with himself, “I don’t know if I’ve told you but every time I’ve felt the foreign magic, it seems and _feels_ _wrong_ somehow. I really don’t know what actually is wrong with it but it feels disgusting. It honestly slipped my mind with everything that’s been going on. And Fury wants more information. For now, I’ve told him that I’ll look into it l, but what do I do now?”

  
“Are you sure? That it _feels_ wrong? What would you describe it as?” Michael and Mark looked increasingly bewildered at the intensity with which Sam had suddenly spoken up and Stiles could honestly say that he shared the sentiment, but he replied nonetheless, “I really don’t know how to describe it other than that it felt disgusting. Somewhat slimy maybe? If it’s possible to mentally feel that something might be slimy.”

  
Sam sighed deeply after that statement, uncharacteristically sombre, “I think the person might be using demon magic. It is actually a form of Necromancy. It involves the fusion of different practices from different origins – sympathetic magic, predictions, sacrifices and exorcism. You get what that means?” She looked at them more intently at this point “There might be someone running around in New York and performing sacrifices to summon either demons or specifically demon magic. And greater the task, greater the sacrifice needed.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How was the chapter? Enough suspense? I was going to make it a fight scene but then I thought that it was probably not something thats feasible - the Avengers coming running in every time shit goes down. So this came into being anyway.  
And! I'd like to present my sincere thanks to each and every one of the readers who've stuck around so long even though I wasn't updating! I love all of you so so much and I love all the comments and love! I'll try to write faster but since my tests are still going on every other day, I really don't have as time as if like to write.  
Also, Happy Pride month!!!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm late again...so sorry? I don't mean to take so much time, but everything is so hectic and it's hard to find time!  
But anyway, enjoy the chapter!

  
“AAAHH- PETER!?”

  
Said person was casually sitting on the ceiling of Stiles' room and completing his homework, almost giving Stiles a heart attack. “Hey Sti!”

  
“Hey!? What on earth are you doing on the ceiling?”

  
“Homework for tomorrow’s chemistry class..?”

  
"How are you not getting dizzy? You know what- don't tell me." Stiles just sighs and shakes his head, moving to dump his bag beside his desk and flop onto the bed. Peter jumps back to the ground in one fluid motion and sits on the bed with him. ”Why are you late? Your work was supposed to finish an hour ago.”

  
“I was with Sam. We were talking and I lost track of time-” Stiles replies with a sheepish grin, “-I’m sorry. How long have you been waiting?”

  
“Not long. I just came in. Anyway! What are we doing today? Because I have to leave for the Tower in an hour. I told Happy not to pick me up today. I think we might work more on my suit today. At least that’s what I think Tony meant.”

  
“Tony? When did that happen? I thought he was 'Mister Stark'?”

  
“He hates it when I call him Mr Stark. So I do it constantly!” he replies with a cheeky grin and a bright laugh. 

  
“So. We only have an hour to kill. Let’s watch something?” Peter agrees almost immediately. They set up Stiles' laptop and settle down on the bed. Stiles could only barely pay attention to the show, the constant brushing of their shoulders or their hands being just as distracting as Peter’s laughs and the flailing of his arms as the B99 precinct shenanigans continue. They’ve somewhat dubbed it as their own show since that’s what they almost always watch when they’re together.

  
“Hey Pete. You know, other than school I haven’t really hung out with Ned and MJ much. You do spend time with them, don’t you? I mean I don’t want you to give up your time with them just because I don’t really know many other people here. Or if it’s okay with you, maybe we could even all hang out together?” Stiles is pretty sure that he sounded extremely awkward saying that but it was something that he had been thinking about for while. Pete has his school, stark internship and on top of that he has to go patrolling at night (which terrifies Stiles so much). Even with his day being so full, he always found time to spend with him and it makes Stiles undeniably happy.

  
“Sti! I don’t spend time with you just because of that! I really do like all the time we do random shit together. But I would actually love if all of us could hang out together. That would be amazing!” he replies with the biggest grin on his face. If Stiles and his best friends get along then who’s he to complain about it?

~*~

“Hey FRI! Where’s Mr. Stark?”

  
“Hello Peter. Boss is in the workshop. Should I take you there?” 

  
As soon as Peter replies in the affirmative the lift moves up to the floor on which Mr. Stark is working. He bounds into the lab, almost skipping. He’s excited to work today and the warmth of having spent time with Stiles hadn’t worn off yet and was persisting in the form of a huge smile on his face.

  
“Hey Kid. What’s got you so happy?”

  
“Can’t I just be happy to be working with the best Boss ever Mr. Stark?”

  
The older man snorts at that, “Yeah. Of course. I am Tony Stark. You should be ecstatic that you get to work with me.” Peter huffs out a laugh at that and they immediately settle into their routine. The hours fly by with neither of them really noticing. It’s only when FRIDAY alerts them that they realise it’s time for dinner. Peter thinks that it’s only because of his metabolism that Tony has started eating properly whenever Peter’s at the Tower. He’s heard Miss Potts and Mr Rhodey complain about his mentor's sleeping and eating schedule. The thought makes a warm feeling settle in his chest.

  
“You okay with Thai kid?”

  
“Of course.”

  
The two of them settle down on the couch in the living room while waiting for the food to arrive. It’s calming, working with Tony and then spending time with each other. It’s almost like having a father-figure in his life. Not that he’d be telling Tony that. That would definitely be a bit too embarrassing for Peter to handle.

  
“Pete. You know Stiles well enough right? You’re friends, aren’t you?”

  
Peter was pretty sure he knew where this was going, “He’s good Mr. Stark! There’s no need to worry. He’s like super cool. He isn’t going to turn bad or anything if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  
Mr. Stark sighs and nods his head, seemingly trusting Peter for now. But Peter feels the need to defend his friend (friend? Really?) more thoroughly. “I’m not joking Mr Stark. I know you found some questionable things in his time at Beacon Hills but it wasn’t his fault. There are a lot of supernatural beings in that town. And Stiles moved here to get away from all of that.” Peter prays that Stiles doesn’t mind the small snippet of information he had just let slip but if it helped in making the Avengers a bit more trusting then he might as well do it right?

  
“I believe you kid. There’s no reason to be defensive.” The knowing smirk on Tony’s face makes Peter wonder if the man had caught on to his feelings for Stiles. He can feel the blush creep up his neck at the thought but before things become more awkward for him FRIDAY saves the day. 

  
“Boss. The food is here.”

  
Peter jumps and runs to pick it up as fast as he can and he can still hear his mentor’s light laugh following him. He cursed himself inside his head and heads back only after getting himself under control. Tony is still looking at him with that smirk and Peter huffs, taking the food over to the couch and turning away from the older man. He takes out the containers and proceeds to serve himself, leaving Tony to take his own. He looks at the man from the corner of his eyes and sees him struggling to hold in his laughter.

  
“Go ahead. Laugh at my misery. I’m glad that this brings you so much elation.”

  
Tony bursts into laughter, wheezing and barely keeping himself from falling off of the couch. “Don’t be so dramatic Pete. Oh my god. Stop pouting now-“ Peter makes an indignant noise at that “-and I’ll stop. Just promise me you’ll be careful with everything. I don’t want you hurt.”

  
Peter practically melts at that, “I promise Mr Stark. I’ll be careful.”

  
“Do I need to give you the talk?”

  
And the moment is broken and Tony dissolves into laughter again. 

~*~

Their conversation from the last time they had gotten together was still hanging around the room, making the air seem oppressive. All of them looked tired and downtrodden. It wasn’t a surprise since someone was using Demon magic. Stiles shuddered at the thought of it, the sacrifices required and the toll it would take on the caster's body too. He remembered vividly the reaction Sam's statement has caused. 

  
_Michael sucked in a huge breath and Mark just sat stiffly. Sam looked so very serious and Stiles wasn’t sure what to do now that they had a possible lead but it didn’t give them much to work with. They still didn’t have any clue as to who it was that was doing all of this and the whole thing was stressful enough that Stiles just wanted it to be over as soon as possible. _

  
_“Okay. So what can we do? There has to be something right? I mean, the person who’s doing this has to have found the information needed to practice that magic somewhere and we do have an admittedly large collection. Can we start there? Or do you have any idea of where we might find things? Sam?” She shook her head as if to get into the zone and looked up with determination. “Yeah. You’re right Sti. We’ll start with the books. I don’t really know if we have anything on it but we have to start somewhere and this might be the best option. And Sti, what do you want to do about SHIELD and the Avengers?”_

  
_“I don’t know. I genuinely just don’t know what to do. I have been thinking about it. We can either work with them or still keep the pack a secret. And the thing is I can’t decide what to do. If we work with them, we might be able to get this all done faster with all the resources they have but on the other hand it would mean revealing the pack.” He buried his head in his palms and let out a long and drawn out sigh. He felt a hand rubbing his back slightly and looked up at Michael. “Stiles. Calm down. I think we should tell them.” He held up his hand as they all seemed to start arguing, “I know there’s complications. But we also need to think about the people too. So many attacks in such a short time and there are so many civilians being hurt. We can’t keep avoiding it. And I think if we reveal ourselves this way, we might be able to come to an agreement with Fury right? You said he’s not a bad guy Stiles.”_

  
_“Michael. So you think maybe we can start with Peter first? We already trust each other.”_

  
Now they were sitting here again, just as tense as last time. Sam hasn’t found anything yet but they’re still looking and Stiles can start helping her now. 

  
“So Sam I’ll bring Pete over tomorrow, yeah? I mean I do have a shift at the store tomorrow so I’ll just bring him over at that time.”

  
“Yeah. That’s okay. Now stop sappily smiling and thinking about your boyfriend.”

  
Stiles can totally swear that the sound that he made was completely normal. It was not a squeak. Or anything embarrassing. He grumbled as the others laughed, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  
“Yet”

  
He glared at Mark who only shrugged and raised his hands as if he were innocent.

  
“Anyway, I need something to cover my face or some kinda uniform to not out my identity. I hadn’t really thought about it until that video came about. Thank god SHIELD took it down fast enough and that it wasn’t extremely clear. I mean of course there have to be people who would have already downloaded or recorded it but it’s still shaky enough that I won’t be outright recognised. Unless you have superhuman eyesight. Which is how Derek found out I guess.”

  
Sam hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything. Michael asks if anybody’s asked him about it.

  
“I _have_ actually got some looks at school but I diverted most of them. And since I’m not very popular there’s been close to no one paying attention. I think it’s the same as Peter being able to keep his identity safe because him and Ned are the actual opposite of subtle. Since nobody pays close enough attention to either of us there’s not been a lot of suspicion. Unless of course you’re MJ. Because she’s scarily good at knowing everything about you.” Sam snorts at the last sentence and promptly declares that she’ll probably get along with MJ as soon as they meet (which is frankly a terrifying thought).

  
“Now that I think about it, that might be the actual reason nobody’s confronted me about it. They might be scared of her.” The exaggerated expression of realisation hitting him makes the others laugh and since the mood is already lightened they just goof around for a while before Stiles makes his way back to the apartment. He had just settles down on the couch with a bowl of pasta when his phone rings, the shrill sound startling him. The screen lights up with an image of his dad slumped over their dining table after one of his night shifts. He probably wouldn’t find it as amusing as Stiles did anyway. 

  
“Hey dad.”

  
“So, I have an announcement to make!” The excitement is so very clearly shining through his dad’s voice that it almost instantly puts a smile on his face.

  
“Okay? And what’s it about?”

  
“The transfer has been worked out. I will probably be moving there by next month! Jordan is taking over Beacon Hills and I’ll be a deputy chief there in New York.”

  
“Wha-Really!? That’s so cool! Only a month now. Okay I need to start planning. Have you started packing? Do you need any help? Maybe I could come over to help you with the packing at least and we could come back together. Or maybe Melissa could help-“

  
“Stiles. Calm down. I’ve got it all under control here okay? Yes, I’ve started packing. And I promise not to forget anything. Melissa is actually helping me so there’s only a very minute chance if there being any kind of problems.”

  
“Okay okay. That’s nice. I’m just very excited. You’ve only visited once since I’ve come here and that was honestly so long ago.”

  
“I know. But at least now it’s one less thing to worry about I guess. Anyway, how are things there?”

  
“Well. It’s been pretty tense. We still have close to no leads on who the actual 'villain' is which makes it very stressful. And everybody’s scrambling to find something. On a better note, Sam has promised to help with something that’ll help cover up my face so that there’s no repeat of that particular nightmare again.”

  
“You should relax a bit and take a step back. Calm yourself and then look at the situation. I mean, you sound very tense and that’s not boing to help at any point. And I want you to promise me Stiles that you will not be running into dangerous situations without backup. Anything happens, you call for backup. Understood?”

  
Stiles rolls his eyes a bit at that “You’ve only been telling me that every other day. Of course I understand.” He knows that his dad is worried but he knows that there are things he’ll always need help with. You can’t do everything on your own and that’s something he’s learned from experience. And now that he does have people to help him out and call in times of need, it’s so much better than biting off more than you can chew. They only talk for a bit longer with his dad teasing him about his crush again (what is up with people in his life teasing him about Pete at every moment?).

  
He checks the time and seeing as it’s past 11 and Peter’s aunt has a strict curfew for his time spent as Spider-Man, the younger boy will be home by now. He messages him, asking if he’ll be free tomorrow before patrol. The reply back is almost instantaneous and the positive response makes Stiles grin. Even if he knows that there’s no chance of him acting on his feelings, the prospect of seeing Peter again tomorrow, hanging out (even if they do that quite frequently already, it’s still exciting) and letting him on one more secret, it fills him with a warm, bubbly feeling that he can’t shake off. He hopes Peter doesn’t mind that he’s kept another secret, but the smile on his face doesn’t fade as he slips into his bed that night.

~*~

Peter had only just returned from patrol when Stiles had messaged him. It was shocking how just a simple text about hanging out the next day, could send him into a panicked state. He immediately replies and then winces, considering that he might have come off as too eager. But Stiles knows that he’s awkward and still hangs out with him. Right? He’s thinking about maybe talking to MJ and Ned, ask if they would hang out with him and Stiles before the two of them have to go somewhere (and isn’t that very informative? Maybe if Stiles had given him a location he wouldn’t be this….excited. But the secrecy and wording does feel like some kind of date, doesn’t it? He’s most probably just projecting his feelings).

  
“Pete, you back?”

  
His aunt’s voice jolts him back to reality as he stumbles suddenly and hits his shin on the table in the corner of his room. 

  
“Yeah May. I’m back.” He quickly gets out of his suit and gets dressed before dragging himself towards the kitchen. He’s tired today but the hunger gains monopoly over sleep. They eat dinner silently. It’s routine now, aunt May staying up till he returns, having dinner together before the clean up and spend some time in front of the television, recapping the day for the other. 

  
“You followed curfew today. You’re fine right?”

  
“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Very tired though.”

  
“Go to sleep soon then. Don’t stay up at all okay?”

  
“Thanks May.” She gets up from the couch and hugs him, his cheek resting against the skin of her neck. They stay like that for a while before making their way to their own rooms. Peter flops onto the bed and stares at the ceiling, his mind wandering and thoughts running rampant. He can hear the couple in the room directly opposite from his, the stray cat that wanders around their building every night and if he focuses enough, he could even hear the traffic a few blocks down. His phone buzzes from his table, most probably a text from Ned. Picking it up and opening the messaging app, he quickly types out a response. Yes, he’s fine and he’ll be in school at the normal time tomorrow. Soon after, his eyes start drooping and he’s lost in his dreams.

  
School, the next day turns out to be as boring as ever. Ned, MJ and Stiles were already waiting for him at his locker as he rushes in at the last minute (nobody’s even surprised anymore. When has Peter ever been early to school?). Ned and Stiles are animatedly talking, while MJ has her usual bored look on her face though she seems to be pitching in with her response. 

  
“Hey guys!”

  
“Come on dorks or we’ll be late.” They walk towards their homeroom and settle down. The rest of the day drones on like every other school day. At lunch all four of them sit together and as usual Flash comes by to taunt them. He had tried befriending Stiles the first day. That was until he saw him hanging out with Peter. Since then it’s been the same as it’s always been. 

  
“Do you guys want to do something today? Ned? MJ?”

  
Ned's reply is almost instantaneous, “Yeah. I’m free till 6 today. Mom needs me home by then for something. Though she won’t say what.”

  
MJ doesn’t even look up from the book she’s reading, “Whatever. I’ll be there. It’s not as if I have anything better to do anyway.” Typical MJ response. He sees Stiles grin at him, and that’s answer enough, though the smile makes him feel things he’s trying to squish down. MJ narrows her eyes at him. He groans internally at the thought of the interrogation that’s coming his way as soon as she gets him alone.

  
Since there’s no Decathlon meeting today, they make their way out of school as soon as the last lecture ends. They’ve decided to meet at Peter’s house, since May won’t be at home today. She has been taking longer shifts nowadays and it makes Peter feel guilty, though he knows it’s not technically his fault. He wishes he could help in some way but at least Mr Stark helps them with the food that Peter needs. May had initially declined, not wanting the 'charity' but when she had actually realised just how fast Peter’s metabolism was, she had relented. But even then, Mr Stark and Dr. Cho had come up with a protein or nutrient bar kind of thing, that had everything he needed. Both of them had laughed and waved it off, when he had thanked them profusely. 

  
After settling down in Peter’s room, they soon start talking amongst themselves and the atmosphere is completely relaxed and Peter’s happy. 

  
“I’m not sure if I’ve told you guys before but you know how I’ve been trying to make stronger webs that would have the same flexibility? I did it the last time I was with Mr Stark! I _think_ they might be strong enough to hold Captain America at least, though I haven’t tested them yet!”

  
Ned’s eyes widen, “Dude, when did you tell him about Spider-Man? And why didn’t we know that we had another FOS?”

  
“FOS?”

  
“It’s something Ned came up with Sti. Friend of Spider-Man. And I really did think that I told you about it. You know , the day that the fairies were at the school, Stiles saw me.” He wasn’t sure if Stiles wanted to tell them about his secret or not. 

“Why was Stiles there at that time? Everybody had either left school or were locked in their classrooms.” Peter whips his head towards Stiles, unsure how to move forward since he knows that he can’t lie to MJ. She’s too good at reading him to believe his lies. Stiles only smiles as he looks at all three of them.

  
“You’re that guy, aren’t you? The one who did the magic?”

  
“Maybe so.”

  
MJ gives him a deadpan look whereas Ned’s eyes look like they might just pop out of his skull at any moment. 

  
“At least you’re better at secrets than this dork. I hadn’t had any suspicions about you yet.” Peter makes an indignant sound at that while Stiles only laughs along with MJ. Ned is still too surprised to say anything. But as soon as he gets over it, the questions soon start tumbling out of him and they’re almost the same as Peter’s had been the first time he had found out.

  
“Wait! You’re the Mage!? Wha- How?”

  
“The Mage?”

  
“That’s what the media has been calling you. How do you not know this?”

  
“Maybe because I haven’t checked the news too much..?” He looks sheepish and MJ rolls her eyes at him. “Anyway, is that all they could come up with? The Mage?”

  
“What? I think it sounds really cool.” He feels the need to tell Stiles that. The smile he gets in return is bright and a bit shy.

  
“Now that you know. Answer my questions!”

  
“Well, technically, I’m called a Spark. I mean they’re also called Mages in common languages but technically a Spark. In the supernatural world, there’s many kinds of magic users. There are the Witches and Wizards, the Warlocks, Druids, Elementals and Sparks. The first category are the ones who need a physical object to direct their magic. Warlocks use potions and the energy in their surroundings for spells while Druids are connected to a specific piece of land and use the natural magic of that land. They’re especially good at healing magic. Elementals of course is pretty obvious. And lastly, the Spark, that’s me are the ones that have a wide range of magic to use. First and most strongest of it is the actual spark contained inside my body. The Spark is used based on belief. As long as I believe I can do it, my magic will be strong. But the thing is using my spark tends to tire me out, so I can’t use it at all times. Thus I can also use every other type of magic. The only downside is that all other magic users have an innate sense of how to use their magic. For examples, the elementals are already very strong with their main element and have a basic idea of how to use the others. But I had to start from scratch and it took me more than a year to get to this level which still isn’t too strong. I mean my best ones are earth and air. Water and fire are good, but the person who’s teaching me says that I lack the finesse in those two elements. The last element, Death is one that I’ve only studied the theory of. Which is better since I don’t plan on using it ever. It’s the same for all other magic types. I’m adept at some and bad at others. I’m hopeless with potions though I have a warlock teaching me.” Stiles looks so passionate while speaking and he’s smiling wide. Both of his friends are looking at him with wide eyes and there’s curiosity in their eyes. Well, that’s expected since it’s not everyday that you meet a magician right?

  
“But how does the magic work? Can you like make things out of nothing? Because that would violate the laws of physics.”

  
“Magic is of course in the simplest sense, energy. I cannot create matter. Though I _can_ change the forms of things.” He then proceeds to open his palm, facing upwards. He seems to concentrate for a second, before something happened. It started with golden sparks emerging from the skin of his palm and then something seemed to form over his hand. When the glow recedes and the sparks flow back into his hands, what’s left is a Spider-Man action figure. It’s in his signature position, the crouch as he lands. He looks at Stiles and the older boy is grinning at him with his eyes crinkling. The warmth in his abdomen intensifies at the thought that he made that for Peter.

  
“Woah! How did that happen? You _just_ said that you can’t conjure things.” Well, Ned seems more focused on the science of it and Peter _should_ be doing the same but honestly, he’s too focused on his crush doing that.   
“I didn’t conjure it. I only used the matter in the atmosphere around us and changed it. I don’t have to concentrate on what matter I’m changing, just the end product I want. The more details I can imagine, the better the product. But it _is_ easier to do when the elements aren’t too different. Suppose I want to change a wood into metal. The carbon in the wood is closer to the element aluminium than iron in the periodic table, so it requires much less energy on my side to make that change happen.”

  
“That is honestly so very amazing. I mean my best friend is Spider-Man and my other friend is The Mage. What even is my life?”

  
Peter notices that MJ looks just as amazed though she has schooled her expression into the usual neutrality that she maintains, “I’m assuming you don’t want your identity out too? But I guess you didn’t think about it the last time you fought since there was a video of you doing your thing. Thankfully it was too shaky to get your face properly. So what’s your plan?”

  
“Well, I do want something to cover my face, but I don’t want anything like a full mask. Maybe something like the Winter Soldier used to wear, covering the lower part of my face completely. I don’t know really.”

  
All too soon, it’s time for Ned to go back home though he makes them promise that they’ll answer more of his questions next time. MJ leaves at the same time, though the smirk that she sends their way makes it more than clear that she’s doing it to leave the two of them alone. Peter blushes at that and glares at her but he’s glad that all of them get along and he’s glad to have such good friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is longer than usual as an apology for taking so much time! I want to thank everyone who stays with the story and comments and likes it! All the comments make my day and there's nothing more validating than that.  
Also, I've got comments about some inconsistencies. The thing is I'm not from New York and I don't really know anything about the place other than what I've read online. I'm literally from the opposite side of the world, so I don't know what the rent for an apartment in Queens would be. I'm sorry for those mistakes. If anybody wants to help me with them, please do get back to me! And also, if you come across any other mistakes, point them out and I'll rectify them. 
> 
> Next chapter, Peter will be meeting Sam, Michael and Mark! And Fury and the Avengers might make an appearance again.
> 
> Comment and tell me if you liked the chapter! And if you have any ideas!!!!
> 
> Thank you! See you next time!


	12. Chapter 12

Peter is kind of excited (who’s he kidding? He’s beyond excited), walking beside Stiles who hasn’t told him much about where they are going or why. Just that it’s a secret that he wants to let Peter in on. And wasn’t that just perfect? Stiles apparently trusted _him_ with _secrets_. But it does make him feel happy and light and…he should probably stop gushing. But the thing is Peter Parker has always known that he’s super awkward. It’s probably one of the defining characteristics of his entire being. That and the rambling induced by his nervousness. Which coupled with his awkwardness makes for some pretty cringy scenarios. But he’s grown a bit more confident, working with Mr Stark and the Avengers. He thinks Spider-Man has helped a lot in that regard too and maybe he’s not as bad as he himself thinks (at least that’s what Mr Stark and aunt May keep trying to drill into his head). So anyway, he’s walking beside Stiles now, and he is rambling a bit but the other boy is still listening and replying, so at least he’s not fed up with the talking. 

  
“_Come on_! Just tell me where we’re going!”

  
“Do _not_ use your puppy eyes on me! I am not falling for that again.”

  
Peter increases the intensity of his look.

  
“_Alright_! For God’s sake, that _has_ to be part of your superpower.”

  
He only laughs breezily, “It totally is. Now tell me where we’re going.”

  
“To my work place. And no, I’m not telling you anymore than that. And anyway, we’re almost there. You can wait for a couple more minutes.”

  
“_Fine_. Be like that.” And Stiles has the audacity to laugh. Fake friends.

  
But they do reach the bookstore pretty soon and Peter thinks MJ might just have moved into this place if she’d been here to see it’s magnificence. The dark brown wood of most of the furniture and the lighting of the shop make it feel so homely that Peter’s not sure why they haven’t been here before. 

  
“You _work_ here!? This place is so very cool.” He might be tech savvy and yes he likes the sleek Stark Tower but he isn’t sure he could choose a favourite between the two if he is ever asked to. “We’re so coming back here again. I can’t believe you’ve never brought me here before. I can’t handle this treachery.” He knows he’s being dramatic with the hand over his heart and the exaggerated expression (he suspects Mr Stark might be rubbing off on him) but the laugh that bubbles out of Stiles is totally worth it. The disturbance must have been enough of an indication because there’s a woman heading over towards them, making her way through the tall shelves. Her long blonde hair seemed to float around her as she came to a stop in front of them. 

  
“You must be Peter. It’s good to see you after hearing so much about you from this dumbass.” She jerks her head towards Stiles and Peter wonders what Stiles says about him. 

  
“Yeah. I’m Peter! And you’re Ms Samantha right? He’s told me about you too. And nice to meet you too!” She smiles at him and he feels some of the tension leaving his body. 

  
“You can call me Sam, Peter. I’m not that much more older than either of you. Now, we can move into the other room. It’s much better to have a discussion in.” He looks towards Stiles, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion but Stiles only shrugs and beckons for him to follow Sam. They move towards the empty strip of wall towards the back end of the shop and Sam mumbles something. He’s about to question it when the surface of the wall ripples and almost just as suddenly stops, revealing a door that previously hadn’t been there. 

  
“Woah. That just happened right? I wasn’t imagining it, was I?” Sam laughs before motioning them into the room and Peter cautiously steps forward, not sure what to expect but still trusting Stiles. They enter a room somewhat similar to the rest of the shop but it resembles a meeting room more than anything else. That is if you ignored all the weird jars (are they ingredients for the potions Stiles told him about?) that are placed on the shelves in the room, interspersed with random objects that he’s pretty sure must have some particular significance. There’s also a large shelf dedicated just to books -or rather huge tomes- that is situated to the far side and a circular table with chairs placed around it. Two men, both considerably buff (were there other people who had used the super serum or something?) were already sitting there, their posture completely relaxed though Peter could tell that both of them were still alert. And since his Spidey sense was still dormant, he only smiles at them a bit nervously (which they return with their own wider smiles).

  
“Umm, why does this feel like joining a cult? Is that what the secret is Stiles? Are you part of a cult?” Damn his nervous rambling. The other all laugh while Stiles steers him towards one of the chairs and sits down beside him. Sam sits in his other side with the taller of the two men in front of him and the other guy beside him.

  
“He’s Michael” Sam points towards the first guy, “and this is Mark. And no this is definitely not a cult meeting.” He can see the amusement in her eyes and he cursed his nervousness again. “Though we do have something to say. I’m guessing Stiles didn’t tell you much?”

  
He shakes his head before replying, “Nope. Just that he wants to let me in on a secret. Which is totally vague and not at all concerning.” The person in question does have the decency to at least look sheepish. 

  
“Look, there’s really no subtle way to say this” Sam starts, “So I’m just going to put it out there. You already know that there’s a supernatural community. I’m assuming Stiles has told you _that_ at least.” The last sentence is said with a pointed look at Stiles who only shrugs. Peter on the other hand just nods and looks between them before saying, “He’s told me that you’re a...warlock?” At the nod from Sam, he continues “And that you taught him everything magic that he does. And that there are a lot of creatures out there. But most of it is pretty concealed and people very rarely come in contact with the more dangerous parts of it, unless it’s in supernatural hotspots like his earlier home.”

  
“Well, he’s right in that at least. But I didn’t teach him much. I can’t do everything that a spark does. I….guided him and gave him the means necessary to learn it all.”

  
“You do realise that you just described what a teacher does, right?” Stiles retorts with the most deadpan look ever which makes Sam splutter a bit before she regains her mask and moves forward as if she hadn’t heard anything.

  
“Anyway, what we wanted to say is, these two-“ She gestures towards Michael and Mark, “are werewolves and we’re all part of the New York pack. Well the three of us are. Stiles isn’t yet.” (He catches the emphasis on the 'yet' and the bashful look on Stiles' face but stores that away in his mind to look at later because _werewolves_. What more does he need to say? And he’s not even sure if he’s heard it right)

  
“W-Werewolves?”

  
“Yeah. I know it’s a…hard thing to get used to, but Stiles wanted you to be the first one to know. I mean before he goes to SHIELD with the information.” Peter's brain clicks into overdrive at that moment and he turns wide eyes towards Stiles, “What have you told them about me?” He looks confused for a second before realisation dawns on his face and he replies, “I wouldn’t tell them that without your permission ever! You know I wouldn’t! I’ve only told them that you’re special.”

  
“In those exact same wordings.” Sam says in a dry tone, but the statement makes heat crawl up his face (What? His crush just told him that he’s special. Even if it’s not in the context he wishes it was. He’s a teenager for god’s sake. Give him a break).

  
“I- okay. Um. So what were you saying?”

  
“Yeah! So, we’re part of the New York pack. Michael is the Alpha. Mark is the second in command. I’m the emissary, which basically means that I maintain relationships with other packs, coordinate things, give advice, be the 'magical guide' and a bunch of other stuff.” Peter nods slowly, taking it all in. He’s still a bit dazed from the info dump but he’s more fascinated than anything.

  
“That’s…really cool. Um, is- is it voluntary? The transformation? I mean I’m guessing there’s a transformation. You can n-not answer if it’s personal or something! I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It’s just really fascinating I guess.”

  
Michael then speaks for the first time since Peter’s come. He has a deep, rumbling voice but even then it’s warm and welcoming which somewhat contradicts his hulking form. “I see why Stiles likes you so much. And, no. You’re doing perfectly fine. The transformation _is_ voluntary. I can show you if you would be comfortable?” He nods his head vigorously and at the go ahead Michael stands up from his seat (and woah! He’s even taller than Peter had imagined him to be) and moves back from the table. Stiles leans over from his other side and whispers, “Don’t worry. He still retains all mental capacities even after the change.” He relaxes his hold on the arms of the chair which he had only just realised that he had been holding so tight. The first change he sees are the eyes. They glow a bright red and then suddenly there’s changes happening all over and standing before them is an honest to god werewolf. He’s still humanoid but there’s a lot more hair (or would it be called fur?) on Michael’s face and he can see the fangs poking out. Peter thinks he _might_ have gained a little bit of height but he’s not sure. His Spidey sense was still just a steady hum at the base of his skull and it’s pretty relaxed. He trusts his instincts, they’ve never let him down before and he’s hoping they don’t in the future either. He feels Stiles nudging him and he turns towards the other boy. The look of expectation on his face makes Peter realise that he had been staring for a while in slack-jawed awe. “I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to stare. Oh my god that was so rude. But this is incredible. The rate of hair growth was amazing. I wonder how that happens-but that’s not important right now. This is so totally cool! Thank you for showing me!”

  
“Its okay Peter! I’m glad. We do have our own perks of course. Like accelerated healing, more strength, claws (and he’s just noticed them. How had he _not_ seen the inches long claws before?), more endurance, better senses and that kind of stuff. We also feel the need to eat meat more often and the need for a pack of course. Wolves are pack animals after all.” Peter is surprised that he can still talk in that form though the voice is so much more gravelly. He nods that he understands and Michael changes back before sitting down on his seat again. “Well. I guess we could also tell you about the pack a bit. Alphas of course are the leaders. They have red eyes. Betas are the rest of the members with golden eyes and then there are omegas who are not part of a pack. Too long as an omega and a werewolf turns feral. Which is as dangerous as it sounds. Now, packs are not made entirely of werewolves. There can be other supernatural beings too. I mean there are a _lot_ of beings with self consciousness like us werewolves. Then there are other Weres like Were-jaguars and there are Coyotes and Kitsunes. Any number of such beings can be part of a pack. On the other hand there are more simple minded creatures like the golems that had come out that one time. So…yeah. I guess that’s the gist of the whole thing.”

~*~

There’s almost nothing that can top the feeling of perching so high up and looking at all of New York. It always amazed him just how _much_ there was to the city, the innumerable people always milling or running about in a frenzy, the flashing florescent lights, the sounds and the general atmosphere that was just so New York that it made him proud that he could look after his home so well. He took out his phone before clicking a selfie with the city in the background. The setting sun bathed him in dusky colours and the skyline looked so _perfect_ in the photo that he immediately uploads it on his Spider-Man account on Instagram (What did you expect? He _is_ a Gen-Z kid. Of course he would have social media accounts dedicated to his alter ego). The likes and comments start trickling in almost immediately and his admittedly large followers show their appreciation for the superhero. And in that moment he feels calm and it is actually so nice that he forgets about heading back home. But Karen’s voice almost immediately breaks that illusion, “Peter, there’s a call from aunt May. Should I patch her through?” He swears slightly before replying, “Yeah. Do it Karen.”

  
His aunt’s voice is concerned and warm and once again he feels so very grateful for having her in his life. He’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. She’s the best human on earth and he would totally not accept any arguments to the contrary about that statement. “Hey Pete. You alright? I just finished my shift, so I’ll be heading home now. I expect you to do the same too.” Though there’s firmness in her tone, it’s still so caring that he can’t find it in himself to be anything but happy. 

  
“Yeah. I’m okay. I’ll see you soon. I’m heading home now too. I’ll pick up the eggs and milk on the way too.”

  
“Okay. Larb you!”

  
“Larb you too May.” 

  
The joke has been running so long but it still makes him smile every time she says the she “larbs” him. He does head home after that because he’s tired and the day had been so…._revealing_. To think that he’d lived in this city so long and had even _protected_ it but there had been an actual part of it that almost nobody had known about. He had stayed at the bookshop for a long time, talking and understanding. The whole supernatural community was just so incredible and he had soaked up as much knowledge as he could. Mark hadn't talked too much. Michael and Sam did most of the explaining with Stiles chipping in from time to time but in the end it had all been so fascinating. Peter _still_ has a lot of questions. He thinks he should at least be a little apprehensive about new kinds of dangers he’d have to deal with but it’s like he’s used to surprises now and has learned to just roll with them. It is more than a bit concerning just how _easily_ he was rolling with these new things but he wasn’t going to look too deep into _that_. He had made the knee-jerk reaction of revealing that he was Spider-Man just as he and Stiles had been about to leave (which Mr Stark and aunt May were totally going to kill him for) but he had the feeling that he could trust them (Stiles did too- almost like they were his family) and again, he trusted his instincts a lot. The reaction hadn’t been exactly what he had expected. Michael had sighed and shaken his head where as Sam and Mark had huffed out a laugh before Sam commented, “Of course Stiles would go and be best friends with Spider-Man. What else was to be expected?” But he hadn’t missed the way they had invited him into their fold. He guessed that they would be doing something to protect him too maybe. Stiles had hinted at it at the very least. He wondered who would be stronger. Would it be him or the werewolves? He’s pretty sure he has better senses but he’s not sure about the other things. Maybe they could test it out the next time he went.

  
Dinner that night was spent watching Empire Strikes Back again (May had sighed as if accepting her fate, which _rude_), having cheap take out on the couch. He had drifted off with his head pillowed on May's shoulder. Peter missed the tender expression on her face but he felt the light brush of her lips as she kissed his forehead and ran a hand through his messy curls. 

  
School the next day had started out as a nightmare. He had just barely made it in time and Flash had tried to knock him down with his car _again_ and he had a splitting head ache which made it hard to focus on anything in class. Ned, MJ and Stiles kept shooting him worried glances but he gave them a small smile hoping to convey that he’d be okay (who was he kidding? It probably came off as a grimace considering their expressions). They cornered him at lunch, all of them supporting Disappointed Eyebrows that might have put Captain America to shame.

  
“I’m fine guys. Really. Just- my senses. They've been extremely dialled up and the school isn’t exactly an ideal place to deal with that.” He continues without giving them a chance to butt in, “But! I’ll be fine. I promise! It’ll go away in a while. I just have to wait.”

  
“It’s a sensory overload right? We should make some rules for that.” Stiles is looking totally serious as he turns towards Ned and MJ. The other two nod as if considering it and the three of them immediately start hashing out protocols. Ned brings out his headphones that he immediately hands to Peter (which he’s totally thankful for because the cafeteria is loud and his poor senses cannot deal with it). MJ lends him her sunglasses which look so badass on her but he probably completely destroys that look. Stiles pushes him into one of the corner tables of the cafeteria where they’re somewhat removed from most of the crowd and all four of them sit down. He hoped that his gratitude is visible in the smile that he gives them because his chest is too full of love at that moment to speak and oh my god, he will _not_ be crying in the school cafeteria. The classes are still somewhat fine, even without the headphones because it is mostly quiet. Mr Evans and Ms Grey are strict about having complete silence in their classes and he’s thankful for the respite. The head ache that had been threatening to split open his head had now reached manageable levels and Stiles pats his knee a bit awkwardly but the genuine worry in his eyes makes him smile and he mouths that he’s okay. 

  
But of course Parker Luck could never let him have a nice peaceful day because suddenly, the alarm is ringing, shrill and grating against his senses. There’s a announcement but he can only somewhat concentrate on it. 

  
_“-not a drill”_

  
_“-under attack, move quickly”_

  
The last words have him sitting up, completely alert as Stiles gently guides him in the chaos that had descended over the entire student body. When they’re at a safe distance from the rest of the students, in one of the boys washrooms, he demands an explanation. His first thought of course goes to Ned and MJ, but there’s no way to confirm what has been happening without listening to Stiles.

  
“Pete. Listen to me okay? Ned and MJ are fine. I just saw them in the hallway. They are moving towards the gym with the rest of the students from our year. They said they’d cover for us. It’s an attack. Similar to the ones before I think, but there’s no guarantee about that. It is close to school which is why we got the alert. We need to move now. Are you okay with coming?” Stiles' words are curt and precise, so he nods rapidly, not wanting to back out. But Stiles still looks worried and he’s not sure why they’re still here, shouldn’t they already be out there?

  
“Jesus Stiles. I’m _fine_.” He snaps but the expression on the taller boy’s face makes him regret it immediately. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap. I-I'm fine. We should leave fast. They might need help. Especially yours.” Stiles nods slowly, still looking at him a bit warily (okay, he deserves that) but nonetheless jumps into action, pulling out Peter’s Spider-Man suit from his backpack and then pulling out another suit from his own one (when had he gotten a suit and why hadn’t Peter known about it?). He must have said it out loud because Stiles laughs and replies, “It was supposed to be a surprise. I was going to show it to the three of you today. But I guess, this is as good a time as any to bring it out for the first time.” Peter only nods as he shimmies into his suit and presses the spider symbol on his chest. He pulls his mask over his head and Karen immediately greets him. She relays that the threat is only a few blocks away and not all the Avengers have reached yet. Iron Man, Black Widow and Captain America were the only ones who were there for now. Peter guesses they might not need all the Avengers for every supernatural battle. He turns around to tell Stiles the same but nothing comes out as he sees the other guy. His mouth hangs open and Stiles looks a bit apprehensive as he asks, “A bit too much? This was mostly Sam’s idea. She said we had to go with ‘The Mage' thing because people had already named me and apparently that’s what superheroes do. Not that I’m one but you know….” He trails off awkwardly but Peter is still in awe of the transformation in front of him. Stiles looks _good_. Like really really good. He’s wearing black trousers that kind of look like they’re made out of spandex which fit him perfectly in all the right places. There is some kinds of armour that he’s wearing on his upper body over a black t-shirt. There’s also a long overcoat with a high collar over all of this, having a silverish or metallic tinge on its edges (which he suspects might have more than a few protection charms to keep him safe from practically anything. Michael and Sam are both mother hens) that had pockets and a belt to hold things that he would need Peter guesses. And finally most of his face, except his forehead and eyes is covered with a black mask which doesn’t seem to have any supporting straps. 

  
“Um. Is something wrong?”

  
“No! No no. I-I was just surprised I guess. It- It really suits you.”

  
“Thanks” 

  
Peter is totally imagining the blush that creeps up Stiles' neck right?

Both of them are broken out of the awkwardness as a dull thud echoes from outside the school that makes Peter jump slightly. They break into motion and quickly move out of the school through a window and Peter webs his way through the streets of New York where as Stiles simply flies along beside him (since when had he been able to do that!? He guesses it must be the air manipulation most probably). The scene that greets them when the reach the destination is somewhat disturbing. The number of creatures isn’t too large but they’ve wrought enough destruction that Peter shudders at the thought of what a larger number could have done. He immediately jumps into the frenzy, carrying civilians to safety while fighting off as many creatures as possible. But their thick skins make it hard to hurt them physically. Karen patches him through into the group comms and he sees Stiles land next to Natasha. They have a whispered conversation before she hands him an ear piece and Stiles enters the fight. His voice filters in through the comms, urgency almost tangible in them.

  
“Wyverns!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am again! I have something to say. I have been itching to write some Peter Parker one-shots and I would really really like it if maybe you could give me some prompts? I'll try my best to write as many as I can (within my limit because I'm not that good at writing). You can comment or PM me the prompts if you want!
> 
> That said I hope you're happy with the chapter? It's the first completely Peter centric chapter. I apologize for the bad descriptions because I'm really not good at those (the description about Stiles' suit is a complete failure, isn't it?).  
Also, guys! Did I get the essence of Peter right?  
Anyway, next chapter will be the fight and may also have Natasha and Tony's point if view. We might also delve more into the demon magic part of this. *wink wink*  
I'm also really sorry for having such a bad updating schedule.  
As always, like and comment if you liked the chapter (or not). They always make my day! And again, if you see any kind of mistake please point it out and I'll rectify them. I don't have a beta and proof reading on my own sometimes is super faulty.  
Thank you!! See you next time!!!


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